Forgotten
by Melora Maxwell
Summary: The humans have a most strange saying. Curiosity killed the cat. I suppose in my case, it would be curiosity killed the clone. For it is what I am. Mewtwo fic.
1. Prologue

A/N: This was floating around in my head while the site was screwing up (evil technology won't let me upload stuff nyyyaaaaaarrrrrgggggghhhhhh!!), and I decided to get it out of my head and onto my monitor. Yes, I wrote a Pokemon fanfic. Sue me.

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Disclaimer: I own nothing but Subject B-6. Damn.

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**Forgotten: Prologue**

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PROJECT OMEGA

TEST SUBECT B-6

YEAR 4

REPORTING TECHNICIAN: PROFESSOR M.H. ZAVROS

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Final analysis of Subject B-6

Evidence of high intelligence apparent, estimated IQ. 300. From moment of activation, has demonstrated full control over psychic abilities, perhaps even to the level of manipulating the thoughts of others. Has defeated all opponents in holographic simulations.

The problem of control lies herein. The subject has repeatedly demonstrated extreme psychotic reactions brought on by emotional repression and has killed 17 interns in cold blood. This is believed to be the result of failed genetic manipulation caused by the merging of human and Pokemon genetic materials. The subject is too much like its human donor, both in appearance and in mind.

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TEST SUBJECT B-6: FAILURE

RECOMMENDED COURSE OF DISPOSAL: CRYOGENIC STORAGE UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE…

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TBC


	2. Part 1

A/N: This fic is mostly written from Mewtwo's POV. Hope ya like!

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Disclaimer: I own one character in this and that's it. All other characters remain the property of 4Kids and Nintendo.

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**Forgotten: Part 1**

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The humans have a most strange saying. Curiosity killed the cat.

I suppose in my case, it would be curiosity killed the clone.

For it is what I am.

A clone.

A bastard shadow of an unfathomable power.

* * *

I am Mewtwo, clone of Mew. The fabled 150th Pokemon, or Project Omega Test Subject B-7 as I was termed by the scientists, the ones who created me to be nothing more than the end result of an experiment.

Giovanni was no better than they were. I vowed that I would never be subservient to any human and promised to have my vengeance against the Earth.

But that boy changed everything. He gave his own life to save the Pokemon and his friends.

His actions baffled me. The termination of his existence would serve no other purpose than ridding the Earth of another pathetic life form.

But the Pokemon…the power of their tears amazes me even now. The human was revived and continued with his companions on their quest. The clones and Mew left with me to begin a new life away from those who would otherwise destroy us.

In peace and seclusion we dwelt for almost two years, until…Giovanni. I had neglected to wipe his memory of my creation and he came after me with his machines. Death approached me like the shadow I am.

That boy…he saved me. I was revived by his actions. This time however, I chose not to wipe his mind of our meeting. He was, is an…ally. I cannot call him anything more than that.

But the one whom I now seek, the one who could indeed spell the end of my twilight existence…they might truly be the ally I need to survive.

Curiosity might indeed kill the clone, if my recollections of the New Island data served me correctly.

* * *

Only those who had partaken in my creation knew of Test Site-A. Hidden away in the Cerulean Caves, it had been the birth and death-place of my unfortunate predecessors. The subjects had either been exterminated outright; or else they had been dissected after they had died of complications.

Subject B-6 however, had been placed in cryogenic storage until further notice. Extreme psychopathic tendencies and a high IQ…could be useful.

I scoured the treetops until I was able to find any sign of the cave entrance. In recent years the vegetation had become dense, high enough to cause a few unfortunate landing problems.

The cave was somewhere towards the north. Only my instincts could help me now. As I flew, I let my mind stretch out, feeling for the presence of life.

There…faint, but recognisable.

Sometimes it pays to know how to use Metronome. The wind whipped around me as I levelled a blast towards the overgrown mouth of the cave. Leaves and vines flew past my face, hitting my body and tail as they were flung away by the air.

Stage One complete.

Stage Two: finding my way around the maze of tunnels inside this infernal complex.

* * *

Only the thought of this being and its release kept me going as I encountered yet another wall of rock.

I retraced my steps and chose the central path. Four kilometres on…and another dead end.

Feh. One of the world's most powerful Pokemon and I couldn't even find my way through a cave.

I focussed my mind on the life force I felt so far below me. Another like me…another clone who deserved to feel the sun on its back. To know how it became, how it began. To see the moon and the stars and the life of this planet.

To be able to feel emotions, to sleep and to wake without fear, to know others like itself.

To be free.

The life I was never meant to know.

Focus, focus…

* * *

Something felt different about this tunnel. The rocks and dirt underfoot seemed stylised, the jagged rock-faces were too perfect to have been created by tectonic movement…this was it. I could feel it in my blood, in my genetically engineered soul.

The being was close.

There. A glint of metal in the light of my Flash. That was the entrance.

One bruised shoulder later and I was in.

Metal walls, metal floors, metal ceilings…gods, I hated laboratories. Memories of my incarceration on New Island and later in the bowels of the Team Rocket headquarters flooded my mind. So many machines; ironic that these soulless, single-minded automatons gave life to me, and yet fitting in a way; they gave life to a lifeless being such as myself and Subject B-6.

No scientists could be found in this futuristic torture centre. Only the pulse of electricity and the cryogenic generator could be heard.

The life was close now. But something felt…wrong, for lack of a better word. The life seemed to be one, and yet…it seemed to be two. Curious.

Putting my uneasiness aside, I attempted to locate the cryogenic storage suite. The faster I found B-6, the faster I could leave this steel-encased nightmare.

Clouds of dry ice floated around me as I entered the suite. It didn't surprise me to discover that the remains of my predecessors were stored in here. But what had been done to them…it made me physically sick. Grotesquely deformed limbs, malformed and twisted bodies lined the wall of the chamber. I was revolted to discover that the parts that had been removed from the clones during autopsy had been carelessly stored along with the bodies. Blood mixed with the storage fluid in thick purple and red clouds, thankfully blurring the features of the bodies.

That could have happened to me had I not had the power to escape. B-6 could have also gone this way had it not be stored.

Why though? What was so special about B-6 that it had escaped the surgeon's scalpel?

The glowing turquoise storage tube in the centre of the chamber would hopefully answer that question for me. Not wanting to disturb any of the feeder pipes connected to the tube, I levitated a few feet off the floor and gazed in at Subject B-6, the sixth failed experiment of Project Omega.

* * *

Darkness. That was what I first saw. Darkness.

For a supposed clone of the world's strongest Pokemon, Subject B-6 looked as unPokemon-like as a being could be. It looked…no, _she_ looked…

Human.

A human.

No…

It was impossible. But yet…it seemed too entirely possible. I myself bear several human characteristics, speech being one of them. But as for bearing the appearance of a human…

Curse my sense of wonder.

Trying to ignore the feeling that I would probably live to regret this, I activated the release sequence, barely registering the sirens and computerised voice warning me of the danger of my situation.

I was still stronger than this girl. I could destroy her if needs be.

The storage fluid drained from the tube as the being inside started to stir. Her black hair floated down to cover her back as her body slumped, the muscles still unused to gravity and free movement. Her head moved slightly, feeling the recycled air on her face.

Black eyes set against olive skin studied me intensely as I worked to deactivate the glass shields surrounding her. I couldn't deny there was something about her that intrigued me, perhaps even attracted me to her. Our shared origins, our abilities, our strength…

Our loneliness.

Perhaps even what humans mawkishly refer to as destiny.

Or maybe it was the fact we both had the ability to break our way through triple glazed glass. An ability that she was demonstrating with alarming skill as she forced her fists through the tube wall and grabbed me by the throat.

* * *

The world started to turn grey as I clutched at her fingers.

'So. Giovanni's sent another monster of his down here. Forget it fuzzball, I'd kill you before you could even scream.'

I projected my thoughts directly to her brain. 'Would you sooner kill another of your kind rather than listen to me?'

Now that caught her attention. Her fingers loosened a little, enough for me to breathe. 'My…kind?'

'Your kind, Subject B-6.'

'Call me something other than Subject B-6 and then explain to me what the hell you're talking about.'

'What do you call yourself?'

'My creators gave me the name Sashara. Now start talking, fuzzy.'

'Let me go first.'

She studied me for a few seconds before she dropped her hands and pulled her arms back through the glass, unaware of the blood dripping down her body.

'Explain now.'

Tact is merely a human trick to sugar-coat unpleasant truths. I am not human even by a long stretch of the imagination. Subject B-6, despite her appearance, was not human. At least, not fully human. Therefore there was no sense in trying to be tactful.

'You are a clone, one of seven beings created by Team Rocket in their quest to create the world's strongest Pokemon. I am the seventh clone, Subject B-7, or Mewtwo as I am otherwise called. You and I are the only clones to survive; the others either died of complications or they were killed and dissected.'

She looked amazed, then shocked, then…It took even me a few seconds to work out exactly what had happened.

All I can say is; glass shards hurt. A lot. Particularly when they start digging into your spine.

The piece of metal pointed at my throat forced me to look up at my assailant. B-6 had completely destroyed her transparent cage and was crouched over me, a snarl twisting her features.

'You're lying.'

'I do not lie.'

'If you're one of Giovanni's creations, then…' She fell back slightly and let her weapon drop to the ground. Confusion rippled across her young face.

'…Why haven't I seen you before? Why am I here? Why was I kept in that chamber?'

'I cannot answer why you were kept in storage, but the other questions I can and will answer if you trust me.' It was a baited question. Cruel yes, but necessary.

She sighed in resignation. The fish, hungry for knowledge, had snapped at the bait.

'Then we must leave this place. And by the way…' I disinterestedly examined the broken computer panels around the stasis tubes on my way out of the chamber.

'…Put some clothes on.'

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TBC


	3. Part 2

A/N: Wooo!! I got reviews!!

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**Miyo Maxwell:** Whoops on being confused! I got an A, C and D, so not too bad!!

**VMorticia:** I'm working on both fics at the same time. And I'll say this right now…Stop picking holes in my logic and my grammar! I don't pick holes in your fics! (Well, not much anyway…)

**Mystic Mewtwo:** I'm still seeing where this fic's going. But at least I'm having fun with it! And I'm glad you like!

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Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon, and I never will either. If I did, this fic would be a cartoon and …aww, you know the rest.

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**Forgotten: Part 2**

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Throughout my solitary existence, I have lived by my instincts, engineered as they might be. Right now, they were almost screaming at me vis-à-vis releasing Subject B-6.

Yes, it was irrational.

Yes, it was illogical.

Yes, I might have just unleashed a power far greater than all the Legendary Pokemon combined.

But yes, there was still a chance that she would follow that way of existence I had chosen.

Hopefully without the bloodshed I had caused.

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I paced the floor of the anteroom, ignoring the slight sting of pain from where B-6's…no, _Sashara's_ hand had connected with my face. She looked so fragile to the untrained eye, but her genetically engineered strength, combined with the rage that only females appear capable of achieving, made her a Pokemon/human powerhouse.

A slap just for commenting about her nakedness.

Training this girl would have to be worth the risk I took in just releasing her.

'You training me? Only in your dreams, _Mewtwo_.' Ah, my irritation of a predecessor was obviously ready to depart.

I glanced back at the sound of her voice. 'So you found something to wear then.'

She was clothed in black; jacket, jumpsuit, boots…the only items on her that weren't black were her gauntlets and her knapsack.

She shrugged carelessly. 'Took the clothes I wanted from the corpses in the research labs.'

'Do I want to know how you knew there were bodies in there?'

Sashara smirked, a dangerous look lighting up her eyes as she shifted her knapsack onto her left shoulder.

'I was the one who turned them into stiffs. My last little bit of pleasure before I was turned into a Pokemon Popsicle.'

My instincts and my last meal were churning around inside me. The girl before me had murdered several innocent people and Pokemon in cold blood. She talked of killing as if life were a toy she played with, then disposed of when she grew bored of it.

Just as I had done back on New Island. Before Ash Ketchum's sacrifice had changed me.

Sickening.

Teleporting behind her, I managed to grab both of her wrists and pinned them behind her back. That last little exchange had confirmed my suspicions.

'What the hell are you doing?'

I ignored her and concentrated. Around her wrists, two handcuffs slowly appeared. Only in this instance, the cuffs were not of weak metal, but fashioned from pure psychic energy. As well as physically restraining her, they also held the power to Disable any and all of her attacks. An excellent discovery, even by my standards.

'I think you know what I'm doing.'

She tugged on the cuffs and snarled. 'Psychic restraints. You sneaky little son of a…'

'An IQ of 300 and that's the best you could come up with?'

'Once I get free of these things, I'll be _sure_ to come up with something a lot better just for you.'

I picked her up by the collar of her stolen jacket and hauled her out of the lab. 'I'm flattered.'

'Don't be. I've killed a lot of people and Pokemon in my time. Don't go thinking you're anything special.'

'The enhanced living replica of an immortal being believed to be the ancestor of all Pokemon on Earth? As far as Pokemon go, that makes me fairly unique.'

'Huh.'

'Just as you are unique.'

She simply rolled her eyes. I let the silence between us build until we neared the exit of the Cerulean caves. Oddly enough, it was she who took the opening gambit.

'I'm a genetically enhanced killing machine. I'm unique how?'

That question almost made me smile. Almost. But it hit a little too close to home for my liking. A few years ago, I would have asked that selfsame question. But back then, my answer would have been that I am not truly unique.

For how can a clone be unique?

Most perplexing.

I hauled her arms around my neck and scooped her body up in my arms as we tore off into the sky, only a few scattered leaves hinting that there was once life in those dead caves.

* * *

It was unusual. I couldn't seem to be able to look at her for more than a moment.

Maybe it was just my natural aversion to humans.

Maybe it was her indifference to life and death.

Maybe it was just that she was too like the Mewtwo who had been willing to destroy the Earth out of some misplaced sense of vengeance.

She didn't seem perturbed by the sudden change in scenery. But she wasn't about to let her question remain unanswered.

'…How am I unique?'

I shot a look at her as we travelled west, back into the lands of Johto. 'For a start, any being who ever tried to hurt me in any fashion ended up dead. I didn't kill you. I didn't even hurt you. That alone makes you stand out.'

'Not impressed. Keep going.'

'From what I know of your creation, you were the only Pokemon-human hybrid ever to survive the cloning process. And from that, you are the only Pokemon-human clone on Earth.'

She frowned. 'But what about the clones after you? Weren't any of them hybrids?'

'I obliterated New Island, or Test Site B as you may call it, and all the scientists along with it. But the clones I created myself were simply copies of the originals. No hybrids.'

'And what about Giovanni? Does he know about this?'

'He holds no memory of my existence or the existence of the clones, and as far as I could tell, he believes you are either dead or still in storage.'

She sighed and watched the landscape rushing past beneath us. 'I guess that's sort of comforting.'

I chose not to say anything. Unlike me, Sashara's freedom was still dependent on Team Rocket not discovering that she had been freed.

The only place where it would be safe for both of us to live would be my old sanctuary.

Mount Caina.

* * *

The highest area in the Johto region was still as beautiful as I remembered. The gigantic crater where Clarity Lake once rested had become a lake once more; a few Magikarp could be seen swimming through the clear water as we flew overhead. Sashara craned her head around to look at the view and smiled slightly.

'I've only ever heard of this place from the scientists. They were right. It _is_ amazing.'

I flew south and entered one of the river caves. If memory served me correctly, this entrance would lead straight to the springs I had hidden under the mountain.

'It was more impressive before Giovanni discovered its existence.'

'What happened?'

'This.' The sounds of the spring grew louder and clearer as we emerged into the chamber of Clarity Lake. It was still as lush and verdant as I remembered it to be. A gasp from my charge told me she found it just as inspiring.

I landed and removed her arms from around my neck. Until I knew that she was in full control of her mental state, the cuffs would be staying on, restraining her powers.

'…But…but how?…'

Seemingly unaware of the restraints, Sashara wandered down to the edge of the lake, gazing around her with a child's wonder.

It struck me then as to how old she actually was. For all her strength, intelligence and psychic abilities, she couldn't have been physically more than 16, perhaps 17 years old. And for all of those years, she had been imprisoned by Team Rocket.

'I moved the spring and Clarity Lake underground to protect them from humans. Before that, this place was home to me and my fellow clones.'

'I can see why. But why take the risk in bringing me here?'

She turned and stared straight into my eyes. 'If you know so much about me, then you'd know I can't be trusted.'

'True. You can't be trusted. But when you have none of your powers…' I didn't need to finish the sentence. She understood perfectly.

At least that was what I gathered when she snarled and charged at me.

Too predictable. I sidestepped her pathetic attack and delivered a knee to her gut. As she fell, my fist hit the nerves at the back of her neck. She collapsed to her knees, coughing and choking in a vain attempt to get some air back into her body.

'Lesson one, Sashara. Never attack in anger.'

'_Shut…up_.'

'Charming. I see we'll have to work on your manners as well as your less savoury tendencies.'

Unsurprisingly, she ignored me.

Tomorrow, she would find that act of defiance impossible.

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TBC


	4. Part 3

A/N: You like me. You _really_ like me. I'm slightly scared!

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**Oko-chan:** I get a prize for this? Cool!

**Miah Tolensky:** Glad you like the story. I never do _straightforward_ romances- but rest assured, there was a reason I categorised this fic as romance…

**VMorticia:** I intend to get some mileage out of this fic, so isn't it a tad redundant to tell me to keep writing?

**Mystic Mewtwo:** I'm really flattered that you like this. And yes, I'm blushing big time at this end.

**Crimson Fuchsia:** I write stuff that floats around in the empty space called my head. By some weird fluke the stuff just happens to read ok. Mewtwo lovers of the world unite!!

**Gregory Stephen/nightdragon0:** I just love Mewtwo's character full stop. Glad you like!

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Disclaimer: If you don't know this by now, I'll get very disturbed. And that's more disturbed than I am right now. I don't own Pokemon: I own Sashara or Subject B-6 and that's it.

Warning: This fic contains stuff about mature subjects; if you don't want to know, then for the love of _whatever,_ don't read it. For the record, those subjects include abuse, addiction, death and mild sexual content.

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**Forgotten: Part 3**

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There were few beings alive that could out-stare me, and only two who could make me break eye contact.

One of them was currently roaming free in the forests of the Amazon.

The other was currently slouched on a mound of earth before me, wearing a snarl that even a Gyarados would quail at.

So much for expecting gratitude.

Sashara had completely refused to speak to me after I had informed her of her conditions for living inside Mount Caina. Part of the arrangement was that her restraints would only be removed during training, but she would have to remain inside the caverns. Otherwise, she had free movement over the mountain, but the cuffs would stay on.

For all my uncertain efforts at amiability, she had stalked off somewhere after she had eaten, returning only to glare at me and to rest.

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For a Pokemon-human hybrid, I had expected her to be a skilled fighter, or at least be able to put up a more imaginative defence against my attacks. But no; she had simply erected a Shield and was glaring at me through the blue-white haze.

'Are you just going to scowl at me all day or am I going to have to force you to fight?'

She didn't break eye contact. 'I only fight when _I_ want to.'

'And you don't want to fight me? You don't want to test your limits against another clone?'

'The only limit you're testing is my patience.'

'I'll be testing that even more if you don't fight me.'

She smirked. 'Please. I'm a hybrid. I have the strength of two races, unlike _you_. You'd never stand a chance against me.'

'And that arrogance will be your downfall.'

I retired the façade of politeness and aimed a Tri-Attack straight at her Shield. Acting on instinct, Sashara raised her gauntlets to cover her face as her defence fell and the onslaught of fire, ice and lightning hit her body.

She was too proud to cry out in pain. But I recognised the look on her face.

Albeit before she raised her hands to her temples and directed a Psybeam towards my head. I only had enough time to raise my arms before the shimmering ray of energy hit me.

* * *

Whether it was natural ability or her engineered abilities coming into play, the beam hurt.

A lot.

She stood up shakily and snarled, the noise welling in her throat. 'No one pulls a cheap shot on me. No one.'

Her hands balled into fists, energy swirling around her. My barely concealed anger changed into vague concern as I studied her form.

The energy should have been blue or white, maybe even pink.

It shouldn't be black.

Unless…

I ducked as she swung at me, her fist barely missing the top of my spinal cord. Landing on all fours, I concentrated and pictured Nightshade in my mind. Under current circumstances, it was the only attack that might subdue her.

The waves of pink energy surrounded her, attacking her mind and body. While I can perform a number of Ghost-type attacks, I generally prefer not to use them. Apart from drastically reducing my powers, they can have adverse effects on Psychic-types.

Add my Swift attack to the mix and both of us would certainly collapse.

Sashara howled as the dual attacks hit her, forcing her to power down. I barely managed to stay on my feet as the aftershocks began.

It would take a while even for a Pokemon of my power to recover from the onslaught I had received. I might as well try to get some information out of her.

'Care to…explain…what that…aura was?…'

She was holding a hand up to her head. Not even enough strength left to glare.

'…I have…Mew's…DNA…'

It made a disturbing amount of sense.

Mew was believed to be the genetic ancestor of all Pokemon. During the years of peace, I had investigated the New Island data and had discovered scientific evidence that my 'parent' had the ability to perform any and all Pokemon attacks.

Including those belonging to the then unknown classes. Dark-type and Steel-type.

Sashara could use Dark-type attacks. The only attacks that I was completely unable to defend myself against.

Damn.

I used the last of my mental strength to restore her cuffs. Until I fully understood the powers of the Dark-types, she would now be restrained at all times.

Crawling over to the spring, I managed to drink a mouthful of the water, feeling its regenerative properties running through my body. The girl would need healing as well, despite her pain threshold. The easiest way of getting her to the water was to carry her, despite the risk of her trying to attack me again.

Helping a human.

If only Mew could see me now.

* * *

If Giovanni's mind hadn't already been wiped of my existence, I would be sorely tempted to seek him out and eviscerate him personally. Better yet, I could send Sashara to deal with him.

She certainly had a suicidal streak.

One that apparently included punching everyone that tried to help her as a form of thanks.

She had disappeared off to the surface after inserting her fist into my face and snarling that she didn't need my help, now or ever. My only consolation was that at least she wouldn't be able to leave a bruise.

* * *

Something caught my attention at the back of my mind.

A sound?

A thought?

No…

A void.

An action along with that void… One I knew only too well.

Death.

Something had died…no…they had been…

Panic overrode rational thought. I teleported to the forest covered surface of Mount Caina. Sashara and that void of death…they were connected. I whispered a clumsy prayer to a God I didn't believe in that she was unharmed.

The stench of rigor mortis hit my nostrils as I drew closer to the banks of the lake.

No…

Sashara wasn't there.

But an entire school of disemboweled Magikarp was lying on the shores of the lake.

* * *

Not a single one showed any sign of life. Blood had soaked into the soil, turning the earth into a sick red-black colour. Internal organs were strewn over the grass, some completely intact, some so badly destroyed that I was completely unable to identify them.

Despite the almost uncontrollable urge to vomit, I noticed that all the corpses had been torn open in the same way. A straight line from the dorsal fin to the mouth…

Only a being with a skilled knowledge of Pokemon physiology could have done this.

And it didn't take a genius to work out whom.

Mostly because she was sitting a short distance away from the corpses, blood covering her hands and arms, staring out over the lake.

'You did this.' I didn't expect a reply.

She nodded slowly. 'I killed them. I killed them all.'

'Why?'

She looked up at me, her features expressionless. 'Because I wanted to.'

Her eyes…dark, yet so clear, inscrutable…and emotionless.

She literally hadn't felt anything as she had slaughtered those Pokemon.

That was what truly horrified me.

'You…_wanted_…to kill those Pokemon?'

'Is that such a hard concept to grasp?'

'You killed a school of living, breathing creatures…and you feel nothing? Not even a shred of guilt?'

'No…that was why I needed to kill. To see if this time I would feel anything. But still nothing. I can't feel anything.'

She was incapable of emotion. Completely devoid of feeling.

All I could think was that I had made the most regrettable mistake of my existence.

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TBC


	5. Part 4

A/N: Did I mention how much I love reviews?

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**ZeoViolet:** Ok, just very carefully pick your jaw off the floor and keep reading!

**VMorticia:** I like encouragement as much as the next person, and now I updated both fics! Ain't I wunnerful?

**Mystic Mewtwo:** I'm not wonderful. Now stop it. I mean it, stop it! …Actually no, don't stop it.

**Miah Tolensky:** Magikarp are only useful once they evolve, in my opinion. But the lack of emotion deal will be explained in due time. Starting round about now.

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Disclaimer: I own…umm, 5 Pokemon GameBoy cartridges, 6 videotapes, copies of all the movies, a cuddly Pikachu, a Mewtwo plushie and Subject B-6. And that's it. Everything else belongs to 4Kids, Nintendo, and Satoshi Tajiri. Lousy copyrights…

Warning: All various warnings are covered in previous chapters. You don't like them, then don't read this fic.

_Italics_ indicate Pokemon speech

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**Forgotten: Part 4**

* * *

A literally emotionless being.

It shouldn't have been possible, even with genetic manipulation.

Giovanni, my old ally, you truly _did_ create a monster.

Sashara didn't move from her position for almost half a day, by which stage I had buried the Magikarp corpses and retreated underground to stare at the spring.

The tranquillity of the waters pervaded my consciousness, allowing me a modicum of relaxation. But every time I attempted to meditate, the images of those dead Pokemon returned to haunt me, the smell of blood overwhelming my senses, their dead eyes staring at me…

I shook my head, forcing the images away. It wouldn't do for me to become distracted, especially now.

But apparently the fates had other ideas.

* * *

If shimmers could be heard, they were almost echoing around the chamber as one of my closest confidants entered.

Even Mew was not immune to the suffering of others, even those created through science.

_She still hasn't returned?_

'She just keeps staring across the lake. You felt the void as well, I trust?'

The miniature pink cat floated by one of the trees nearest the spring and delicately plucked a few berries from its branches.

_A Legendary always feels the void, always more so than others. You share my blood; you share the awareness._

'Is it always so…frightening?'

I will admit, even now, I was disturbed by that emptiness. Instincts. I was only learning now to trust them.

_The void always haunts us…you more than all of us._

I sighed. 'Because of my actions after my birth, if it could be called that.'

Mew gazed out of the chamber, her reflection glowing in the rushing waters. _And still the same Mewtwo I once fought. But death still preys on you. Maybe too literally._

'Then…Sashara…'

_She was intended to be death incarnate. You knew that when you released her._ Her visage shimmered slightly.

_As were you. But in the darkness, light must always shine. Don't give up on her, Mewtwo. You may be the lights in each other's darkness…_

And she was gone.

* * *

Wonderful. Even the Legendaries were in on this. The 'light in each other's darkness'…

If there was any chance of Mew being less blindingly obvious, I would assume that little interlude just disproved it.

Letting the matter drop, I floated a few feet from the surface of Clarity Lake and tried to concentrate. Sashara realistically couldn't do anything given the restraints and her own exhaustion.

Focus…

* * *

When she wasn't trying to kill me, attack me, or otherwise be antisocial, Sashara had a vaguely comforting presence. She was stretched out underneath one of the cherry trees, her head on her knapsack, oblivious to the world around her.

I didn't risk landing next to her. The only time I could study her was while she slept.

Only Giovanni could create a being like her. Deadly strength and grace, a dark intelligence and wit, but still…those selfsame features never seemed to mar her beauty.

I floated a little lower. Even I could admit that she was a beauty. Black hair covering most of her back; flawless olive skin; a toned, sleek body, neither too thin nor too bulky.

Eyes of fire. As black as her hair…and her soul.

She could best be described as a statue. You could admire the beauty and strength, but otherwise the actual being could not be touched.

A soft cry caught my attention. Not a cry of anger or rage, but a cry of fear.

From her.

The emotionless being was experiencing an emotional reaction.

'…No…I'm not like you…I can't be broken…'

Now this was interesting.

'…My blood...doesn't it count for _something_?…Hurting…'

Her head rolled off of her makeshift pillow as she tossed and turned in the throes of her dream.

'Not…made for this…can't kill…won't kill…disobey…help me…' Her cries were rapidly transforming into…sobs? From this girl?

Her body seemed to be straining against something. From the movements, it appeared to be a machine of some sort. An unconscious movement I knew all too well.

'…Resist you…escape…NOOOO!!'

She bolted upright, tears streaming down her face. For the briefest moment, I saw fear, hatred…longing in her eyes.

Emotions strong enough to make me flinch at their intensity.

At least before she slapped me across the face and ran towards the surface, throwing a few choice names at me as she left. So much for progress.

But her blood counting for something. The blood of which side? Her Pokemon heritage from Mew, or the human heritage from some unwilling Rocket volunteer?

Needless to say, I intended to find out.

* * *

Another day filled with life and light.

Another day without care for many of the Earth's inhabitants.

Another day, another fight to the finish.

She had bravado, I would grant Sashara that much. But her rage and wariness…

Ever since that night, neither of us had possessed the same irrational dislike or distrust of each other that we had originally shared. Somehow a wall had been broken after I had heard her speak in her sleep. Admittedly she was still as stubborn as a Ponyta, but that seemed to be a characteristic of the clones of Mew.

A well-placed Flash dazzled her long enough for me to aim a Psy-Wave at her head. She rolled and dodged the blast, countering with ExtremeSpeed, literally running circles around me. A mistake here could prove costly.

I cast SafeGuard and watched her as she kept up her dizzying pace. Once she started to tire…

There! Now!

The whirlwind of stars hit her body as she stumbled. It took barely a second to Tackle her and pin her to the ground. Speed and strength she might have, but for sheer body weight, Sashara was completely outclassed.

'Ready to try again?'

She smirked, the fire rising in her gaze. 'Only if you try to attack this time instead of sitting on your butt like a Graveller.'

'You're not comparing me to a Rock Pokemon now, are you? You know I don't take insults lightly.'

'Just like I can't take you lightly when you're squashing me. Get off me already.'

Two can play at taunting. I deliberately pinned her arms against the ground and smirked at her. 'Make me.'

Even I felt the Psychic blast in my head. Impressive, but I wasn't about to be deterred.

And as sure as the setting sun, there was no way I was ever going to admit that I was actually starting to enjoy her company, however unbalanced it might be.

The thump on my shoulder abruptly ended that particular train of thought.

Patience was not one of Sashara's virtues. And the way in which she was pinned beneath me was anything but virtuous.

Neither of us were oblivious to this little development either. I backed off before she could hit me again and before she could see the darker purple flush across my face.

The blow didn't come.

* * *

But a tentative squeak did.

_Are you a Pokemon?_

Glad for the distraction, I turned and saw the small brown and cream coloured Pokemon sitting a short distance away from us. How did an Eevee…?

A redundant question. Eevees can breed as prolifically as rabbits given the chance. The clone of Vaporeon must have found a compatible male during her time on Mount Caina. Sure enough, this young one was sturdy and strong. Its coat gleamed while its eyes shone with curiosity. Not terribly surprising since it had never seen any humans before.

Sashara looked at the baby almost warily. I guessed that she had not had much experience with Pokemon except for battling with them and…disposing of them.

An Eevee approaching her with no intention of fighting her was a foreign concept.

_No…You're a human! My parents told me of your kind!_

She frowned. Obviously she could understand the language of Pokemon. 'I'm not…human. Not fully. And it would probably be best for you to stay away from me.'

_Why do you say that?_

'I'm dangerous. I could kill you in a second. And I don't want to have to do that unless necessary.'

_You don't look dangerous. If Mewtwo is willing to fight you, then he must be able to defeat you._

All of Sashara's buttons had been pushed. She stood up, fists clenched and aura swirling.

'Number one, I'm a human/Pokemon hybrid. I'm dangerous. Number two, no Pokemon, no even Mewtwo, has ever defeated me. Number three, who asked you?'

The Eevee didn't seem perturbed. _I'm just saying, your looks are deceiving. And who says Mewtwo intends to defeat you in battle?_

She picked the little Pokemon up by the scruff of its neck. 'Don't be deceived. And I can and will kill you if you _ever_ suggest that again.'

Intimidation over, she threw the Eevee at me and stalked off with her knapsack.

I caught the young one and set it back on the ground. It curled its tail around its front paws and stared at Sashara's disappearing figure. _She's hiding something._

'Indeed. She is…an enigma.'

_And you want to work out that enigma._

'She is a clone, as I am. I want to understand her.'

* * *

I do not lie, as I once made clear to my predecessor. I merely omit parts of the truth.

In Sashara's case, I merely omitted the part where I became attracted to her.

* * *

TBC


	6. Part 5

A/N: I love university. No parents, no bedtimes…Stupid non-portable technology, lectures at weird times…It's an experience.

* * *

**Miah Tolensky:** The Eevee is on to her and how!

**VMorticia:** Yes, the pun was awful. I'm assuming that since the clones were created with enhanced powers, assumingly they were created with higher IQs. Take my warped logic any way you want. And don't pick holes in it.

**Princess Myuu:** Sashara's background is part of her secret, but it's what happened before she was frozen that gets interesting…And glad you like!

**Mystic Mewtwo:** I try not to reveal secrets in the R&R section. Spoils the fun and the death threats. But a spark has come up and I'm milking it.

**Gregory Stephen/nightdragon0:** Weird romance is my speciality. That and dry sarcasm.

**Crimson Fuchsia:** Of course she's enigmatic. I have to create a decent complex! But needless to say, the Eevee and Mew are pretty important players in this fic.

**Light Sneasel:** Ah, wait and see…Man, I hate being cryptic.

* * *

Disclaimer: I own Sashara and the Eevee. Anything else sadly isn't mine. Damn.

_Italics_ denote Pokemon speech

/_Italics_/ denote telepathy

* * *

**Forgotten: Part 5**

* * *

Far from being discouraged from Sashara's lack of emotion and apparent dislike, the little Eevee had become more determined than ever to befriend my predecessor. I could see that she was desperately trying to hold her temper in check around the fox-like Pokemon that had become her shadow for the past few weeks.

The child of two cloned Pokemon...the natural creation of life from two shadows.

A half-shadow.

_Penumbra_.

It fitted the young one well.

* * *

Sashara had disappeared somewhere after our training, presumably trying to find food. Penumbra was curled up in a patch of grass, grooming one of its paws while I hovered a few feet from the ground and telepathically searched out the lifesigns of my fellow clones.

The young one's ancestry intrigued me. Given its ability to perform Charm, I had a fair idea of who its father was.

/_Pikachu…_/

I felt the small Pokemon's mind reach out tentatively towards my own. /_Mewtwo…it's been a while. Has something happened?_/

/_Do not be alarmed. I merely wished to make a small enquiry._/

/_How small are we talking?_/

/_Namely…Vaporeon._/

Pikachu's thought processes immediately grew panicky. /_Vaporeon? What's happened to her? Is she alright?_/

As I thought. /_She still lives. As does a Pokemon I did not expect to see._/

/_…Ah._/ If a Pokemon could psychically blush, Pikachu's cheeks would have been turning crimson rather than their normal deep red. /_I was going to mention that, I really was…_/

/_Calm yourself my friend. I merely wished to confirm the parentage._/

I repressed the small smile creeping over my face. /_The child takes after you, I must say._/

/_Stubborn and persistent then._/ The electric Pokemon was quicker in mind than I had given him credit for.

/_Sashara certainly appears to be baring the brunt of your offspring's persistence._/

/_Who's Sashara? …Wait. That's a…You brought some human to Mount Caina!?_/

Evidently I couldn't conveniently drop the subject. /_Firstly, she's a clone like us. Part human/part Pokemon. Secondly, I rescued her from Team Rocket's Cerulean base. Thirdly, she's been restrained. She can't leave the mountain, and she can't use her powers._/

/_What happened to the Mewtwo who refused to have any contact with humans?_/

/_People and Pokemon change._/

Pikachu psychically groaned. /_You've got feelings for her._/

/_Maybe, maybe not. And what makes you so certain that I care about her?_/

/_'People and Pokemon change?' To me, that screams pheromones._/

Enlightening and embarrassing as this little exchange was, I could feel Sashara's power fluctuating slightly. Only food or her temper could ever produce that kind of change. /_I must let you return to your life, as I must return to mine._/

/_Just be careful, old friend._/

/_I will._/

Coming out of my self-induced trance required little effort. Penumbra was already standing, its dark eyes shining with concern. _You felt it too?_

'Indeed. The instability of her mind means that her lifesigns are capable of fluctuating, but not like this. If anything, this fluctuation feels…unnatural.'

_You think she might be…somehow…making her lifesigns change?_

I sighed and scooped the little fox into my arms. 'It's a possibility. But as for how…'

* * *

"Extreme psychotic tendencies" was perhaps an understatement in describing Sashara's mental condition. Her powers and body might be restrained, but as for her mind and her will…The two made a dangerous combination.

The only sound that could be heard was the rush of water. Otherwise, she seemed to have vanished as she did so often. Humans and Pokemon had very different notions of what constituted privacy. As for hybrids, whichever side was dominant generally influenced their attitudes.

A feeling of vague discomfort made itself apparent in my mind. Why and how did not occur to me, but the discomfort was not my own.

If anything, it felt like a projection. A human or Pokemon's mind connecting with my own.

Only a few beings had the ability to do this. Mew's whereabouts after her visit were currently unknown, and none of the Legendaries were attempting to communicate.

Penumbra, unless it had been hiding some of its abilities, was not capable of projection.

Sashara…

The feeling of unease changed rapidly from mild discomfort to intense pain. Penumbra barely managed to move out of the way before I collapsed, one paw clutching my head in agony. If this was just a projection…

The pain subsided as quickly as it had begun. Blinking back the fluid in my eyes, I straightened up and concentrated.

The projection had come from the mouth of one of the smaller tunnels under Mount Caina.

If Sashara was hurt or even…

No. I had long since grown out of my defeatist attitudes. Sashara was a survivor. A clone such as I was.

She would be unharmed, or else I would make the ones who caused her suffering wish for an early death.

* * *

A smell…a scent. One I knew all too well.

A coppery tang…

I could smell blood.

Sashara was slumped across a boulder near the mouth of the cave systems, clutching her arm in a semi-defensive posture. Dark red fluid was pulsing slowly down her gauntlet, dripping onto the dark soil below.

Deciding to risk a blast to the head, I knelt by her and began to psychically clean the wound. Penumbra sat next to her, its paws resting against her leg. Occasionally it would lick her hand as a gesture of comfort, but if my predecessor felt the young one's touch, she didn't acknowledge it.

She stirred, opening one eye long enough to glare at me. '…Don't need…your…help…'

'Why do you insist on rebuffing all of my attempts at friendship? You and I are the same. All we have in this world is each other.'

I tried not to add a comment about any feelings causing the need to care for her.

'We aren't the same. We can never _be_ the same.'

'It never hurts to try.'

She stood up and leant against the cave wall. 'Just…leave me alone.'

Penumbra scooted over to sit beside me. _We both care about you. That's why we're not leaving you._

'If you care about me, then you'd know that I want to be alone.'

I looked at her calmly. 'True. But what kind of companion would leave a person with a wound in their arm, clearly self-inflicted and with a hypodermic needle buried halfway under their skin?'

Shock and resignation were written over her darkly beautiful features.

'I believe I am owed an explanation.'

An explanation I later wished I had never heard.

* * *

TBC


	7. Part 6

A/N: Would a few more reviews hurt? Otherwise I may discontinue this!

* * *

**Eclipse:** Having pretty awesome day, and very happy you like!

**VMorticia:** It's a thing called a dictionary. Also another thing called a spellcheck. They do come in useful occasionally. But intriguing is spelt like so. Don'cha just hate me being smug?

**Crimson Fuchsia:** I like cliffhangers. They annoy so many people so very well. And try not to laugh too loudly when reading this in public. But I'm trying to keep the 'Awww' factor of the Mewtwo/Sashara relationship going.

**Miah Tolensky:** The Eevee does play its part later on in the fic. As for Sashara…read on.

**Mystic Mewtwo:** Again, I just love cliffhangers.

* * *

Disclaimer: Sashara and Penumbra are mine and anyone who swipes them will be hunted down and…hurt very badly. Everything else is owned by 4Kids, Nintendo and Satoshi Tajiri. Huh.

Warning: Strong references to abuse, addiction, and other nasty stuff; if you don't like this, then don't read it - I have no wish to get flamed by illiterate idiots.

_Italics_ denote Pokemon speech

* * *

**Forgotten: Part 6**

* * *

Sashara didn't move or look up at me for some time, preferring instead to stare at the blood clotting on her skin.

To have wedged a hypodermic into her arm that deeply…apparently there were some of her traits such as inborn strength that could not be restrained. But why take such a risk? Being a clone meant that any genetic instabilities or inherited mutations would have been phased out before she was 'born.'

I sat a short distance away from her and studied her. 'Am I going to receive an explanation any time soon?'

'You're not going to leave me alone about this, are you.' It wasn't a question.

'No.'

She stared at me for a few minutes, then sighed. 'Open my pack and you'll find a black cylinder. That should answer a few of your questions.'

Penumbra sniffed the heavy canvas pack and dragged it towards my feet. I was fully aware I was about to open a literal Pandora's Box. But having the knowledge I needed, no matter how painful, was preferable to the ignorance of a possible nightmare.

The end of the cylinder was buried under the few clothes Sashara had brought with her from the lab. A medicinal scent wafted from the surface…one that seemed vaguely familiar. The memories of New Island came crawling back, along with the relatively new emotion of apprehension.

Painful knowledge or blissful ignorance.

An easy choice for many normal lifeforms.

But I am not normal.

The medicinal smell became stronger as I prised the cylinder open, tipping its contents into my paws. A sealed pack of hypodermic needles, a similar pack of syringes and a metal canister of some sort. The print on the metal was worn in places, but it was still legible.

* * *

**OMEGA...CNS v.0029**

* * *

CNS…I recognised the abbreviation from my incarceration inside Team Rocket's Viridian base.

Cortical Neuro-Suppressant.

One of the most deadly mind-altering toxins possessed by Giovanni. I had only ever heard of the powers of this drug; I luckily never saw the effects for myself.

But v.0029…I had a fair idea of what Omega meant. But why would one of the most powerful clones ever created need to dose themselves with an experimental subliminal memory suppressant?

Penumbra had settled beside her legs and was staring quietly at the tube. 'Vee?' /Why?/

Her face was emotionless, but her voice said otherwise. 'I had no choice. It was the only way to make it stop…stop everyone hurting me, testing me…and him…'

She shook her head and stared at me with an almost calculating look on her face.

'One dose of CNS normally lasts for about 8 hours. Since most of it bled back out, the effects should only last for a couple of hours at best.'

Her gaze slid back down to her arm. 'If you want to know, then you'll have to trust me.'

I knew what she was asking. A Psychic meld would be the easiest way for her to explain what caused her addiction to the drug.

Two hours to go.

* * *

It took a lot to sit this close to her, being able to feel her control over her memories slipping. But compared to my discomfort, what Sashara was experiencing was nothing short of hell on Earth. Much like myself, she preferred to be in control. To give up that control was nothing short of surrendering to the enemy.

The meld in itself would be fairly straightforward; Sashara would have the ability to leave the act at all times, while I would merely 'tag on' to her thought processes and project them to Penumbra, curled up beside the shivering hybrid before me.

'Now.'

I brought my paws up to rest against her temples while she rested her hands against my forehead. Within a few moments the meld would take hold…

* * *

…A sea of black. Endless, suffocating…where was she?

Lost…no hope…drowning…

Her mind reached out to mine. Almost comforting in a way…

'Trust me…'

* * *

The blackness shimmered…a room… a laboratory. Machines…

Metal and plastic panels dotted the walls. Not an inch of the room escaped the metal. Shapes rushed about…humans…rushing around a…a pillar? No…a maturation chamber.

The form inside I recognised instantly. But this was not the stasis chamber I had released my predecessor from.

I was witnessing Sashara's birth.

'…Radio Giovanni's headquarters! Tell him it's ready…'

The senior lab technician was tapping at the control panel of the chamber. The form inside the chamber was stirring, her muscles shifting as she attained consciousness. Dark eyes slid open as she stared in curiosity around the artificial womb.

'…Where…where am I?…'

No one answered…

* * *

Another room…a small shower and basin stood to one side. Sashara was huddled under a black towel while one of the scientists took her vital signs.

No anger, no rage…wariness yes, but none of the extreme emotions she displayed around me…

…Another being…a Pokemon…a Chansey appeared, fussing over her 'patient', cleaning the maturation fluids from her face and body.

'…You're a…Chansey?'

_Quite right, my dear._

'Could you…maybe…answer something for me?'

_I'm not sure, but I'll try._

'Where am I…?'

* * *

…This room I knew well. Giovanni's office in Viridian. Opposite him, Sashara sat in one of the giant leather chairs, nervously buckling and loosening her gauntlets.

'…You have demonstrated your powers merely by surviving the cloning process. Now you will learn to use them as part of your purpose.'

She frowned. 'But what is my purpose?'

The Team Rocket leader leant over and almost tenderly patted her hand. 'Patience, dear girl. You will learn in time...'

* * *

…The Viridian Gym. The site of my own discovery of my powers…The new challenger stood at the southern side of the gym, his last Pokemon at his side. Giovanni remained in the shadows. With a gesture, the hatch beneath the north balcony rose…

…And an abomination of nature and science stood in the doorway. Sashara's body was covered in armor almost identical to the kind I once wore…only her feet and hands remained untouched…

'Vaporeon, Tackle that…thing…now!'

'B-6, Metronome.'

The water Pokemon never had a chance…

* * *

…'You need to improve your speed and power, B-6. As such, my team will help you achieve your maximum through a series of tests and experiments…'

The lab once again. Giovanni stood in front of a group of scientists I regrettably once knew. Zavros may have had morals, but next to this band of degenerates…

* * *

…Darkness…noises…whimpers of pain…

A small cell. A bed, chair, desk and a small basin and toilet; the basic provisions of a Team Rocket prison. The bundle lying on the bed, restraining an agonized howl…

…Blood…I could see and smell blood…

Scars covered her body, wide and flowing across her back, chest and shoulders. Hypodermic tracks and IV valves were embedded in her arms, some still dripping fluid…

…Her face…marred…tears of rage and hurt streaming down her face…

* * *

…'A prototype test? On the subject?'

'If it survives, it survives. If not…we can always clone another.' Those voices…

'Giovanni won't be pleased if she doesn't survive…'

'He wants to control her and he will control her…'

* * *

…A kind voice…a gentle touch…

…'What have they been doing to you, child?' Zavros.

'…It…hurts…help me…' Sashara had collapsed, bruises covering her arms and legs from her last set of tests…

'Hush now, let's clean you up and we'll get you back to your cell…'

* * *

…'Launch test battle 4-BI, Golem vs. Sashara.'

'COMMENCING BATTLE'

How I hated that guttural computer voice. But against a Golem…This would be an easy victory for her.

She charged at the Rock Pokemon, teeth clenched. A backflip, and she stood on top of the stony hide, an Ice Beam directed at the creature's heart.

No…

The Golem stood for a few more seconds… Brown blood splashed onto the ground from the remains of its head…Its heart fell from its body, still beating hard…

'What are you doing, B-6?!' Zavros was running the trial. Evidently he had not been expecting this.

'I defeat my opponents my way.'

* * *

…Darkness again…noises of pain…but this time, there were more forms…

'All in the name of science, girl…' The band of scientists departed, satisfied smirks crossing their faces. Behind them, Sashara lay in a spreading pool of her own fluids, her clothes torn, bruises covering her arms and legs. The darkness of the blood pointed to one thing…

* * *

….Blood once again…a huddled form sobbing in a pool of red, her fist still embedded in her abdomen…

'…I'm sorry…I'm so sorry…'

A needle and syringe lay next to her. Shuddering in pain and repressed grief, she picked up the syringe and emptied its contents into her arm. A look of pain passed over her features once more before her face grew blank, her eyes filled with indescribable rage…

* * *

…'How many dead?' Zavros looked down in horror at Sashara's half-conscious body.

'28 Pokemon, 17 interns.' The rapist kept his expression masked.

'How…why…?'

'No idea sir.'

He looked at her a few seconds more before his face assumed a resigned expression. 'Inform Giovanni that Subject B-6 will be placed in cryogenic storage until further notice.'

'Why not simply destroy her?'

'Giovanni has his reasons. She was partly created from his genetic materials, after all.'…

* * *

It took a while for me to open my eyes.

A meld was never an easy thing to recover from. But what I had seen in there…in Sashara's memories…

Subject B-6…

Sashara…

Sashara was Giovanni's daughter.

* * *

TBC


	8. Part 7

A/N: Heh. I love idle threats. C'mon, you didn't seriously think I'd discontinue this, did you?

* * *

**Tobias Pierce:** Thank you kindly!

**Miah Tolensky:** Exactly. But I wouldn't fancy having Sashara's parent troubles.

**Crimson Fuchsia:** Yep, I love cliffhangers. But at least there's finally gonna be a bit of romance!

**Cosmic Mewtwo:** Again, thank you kindly!

**Goldie:** I like going for surprises. They're irritating yet fun.

**VMorticia:** Indeed, 'tis a revelation and a half. And now onto part 7!

* * *

Disclaimer: Sashara and Penumbra are mine! Anything else…damn it. Not mine, never will be, don't sue. I also don't own the song 'Loving You's A Dirty Job (But Somebody's Gotta Do It) by Bonnie Tyler. 'Tis that fine singer's own property as well as that of Jim Steinman.

Warning: Heavy doses of angst, along with references to abuse, addiction, rape…lots of healthy fun stuff. If you don't like this stuff, then _seriously_ don't read any further. I don't wanna get flamed.

_Italics_ denote Pokemon speech

* * *

**Forgotten: Part 7**

* * *

It was so blindingly obvious, even then. Her features, her mannerisms, her powers…all the trademarks of Giovanni.

And I ignored them because of what? A need for companionship, the urge to learn more about my predecessors…

My feelings for her…my attraction to her…

Giovanni's daughter.

I was attracted to the cloned daughter of my deadliest enemy.

How in the names of the gods was I supposed to react to that?

* * *

Sashara had taken only a brief moment to recover from the after-effects of the meld before she had left, Penumbra trailing along silently behind her.

'_Trust me…_'

I had trusted her. And this was what I had to show for it.

If this was what a broken heart felt like, then it was probably for the best that I never revealed my feelings to her.

A soft noise…a sob.

Not one of anger, but of pain…grief…

Hurt.

Even after that unwelcome revelation, I still couldn't help what I felt for her.

And my feelings told me to go to her.

* * *

Even in the forests surrounding Clarity Lake's basin, the moon was visible; a disc of pure white light shimmering in the dark.

Long ago, I once told Pikachu and Meowth of the life of a clone and that of a normal Pokemon…

'…_The moon reflects the light of the sun. Pokemon born into that sun may walk freely in its light. But we were not born into that world. We are shadows. We do not belong_…'

Sashara and I…did we still live in that moonlight world?

Even in the weak light I could still see her, curled up under one of the yew trees, the Eevee at her side, its paws resting against her leg. Tears trickled down her face. Evidently she had yet to dose herself with more neuro-suppressant.

I sat quietly next to her, staring up at the moon. 'Why?'

'What should I answer first?'

'Why you refused to tell me of your heritage, why you felt the need to rely on the suppressant…either of those questions would do.'

She sat up and rubbed angrily at her face. 'If I know Giovanni, he would have treated you in the same way he treated me…nothing more than a lab experiment. I hated him for that. Hated him with every part of me that didn't hate those who hurt me…hated him with every part of me that didn't hate myself.'

That caught my attention. 'Yourself?'

'Who wouldn't hate themselves…being related to him, even distantly…but me…' She stared at me, eyes burning with anger. 'I'm his daughter. For all I've done, I might as well _be_ Giovanni.'

* * *

__

When the sky is falling and you're looking round  
For somewhere to hide  
Did you ever call out to someone?  
Did you ever call out to me?  
I've never been gone - I've been right here by your side  
There ain't nothin' but clouds  
There ain't nothin' but clouds in your eyes

* * *

A painful silence descended upon us. But I needed answers.

'And the addiction?'

'The drug represses subliminal memories…dreams…'

She looked up at the moon, tears spilling down her face.

'You think I would want to remember those tests? You think I'd treasure the knowledge of being the daughter of a master criminal? You think I'd want to remember those deaths…that rape…the result of that rape?'

Pain took over her mind and body from that moment as she cried.

I remained silent for a while. Penumbra stared up at her, pressing its little body into her leg as if it could offer some form of comfort.

It had the right idea.

* * *

I am not a physical creature. Some claim it is because I prefer to save my strength for battles, but to correct a misconception, I do try to conserve my energy – I simply prefer to remain still. Physicality is something only Pokemon and humans feel the need to seek. I have never felt that urge.

Until now.

She didn't even resist as I moved to sit behind her. Guessing that this was what she needed, I wrapped my arms around her torso and pulled her backwards slightly, trying to make sure my paws didn't rest near any taboo areas.

Fire, or rather what felt like fire burned through my stomach when I touched her. I tried not to wonder if she felt the same way…

Obviously, as she pulled away from me, she didn't.

* * *

__

Why don't you believe it when you finally found the truth?  
You've been drinking poison water from the fountain of youth  
Why don't you stop tearing up everyone you need the most?  
You're so busy trying to get even  
You never even try to get close

* * *

So odd. She was so strong; surviving a literal living hell for so many years, yet at the same time, so fragile. The meld, it seemed, had dissolved most of her defences against the outside world…

Defenceless.

Protection.

Me…

_What_ was I thinking!?

She was the bastard child of science, the offspring of hatred and fear…of Giovanni. I could never see her as a being. I would only see her as Giovanni.

The one I hate beyond all measure.

* * *

__

I can't explain it away  
It doesn't make any sense  
To know what it's like  
I guess you gotta go through it  
It doesn't matter baby

* * *

And yet…_Sashara_ Giovanni.

I could hate and despise her father.

I could claim she was a monster.

I could say I regretted freeing her body and mind.

I could even claim that I could kill her willingly.

Yet I could never ever hate her

Simply because…

* * *

__

Loving you's a dirty job  
But somebody's gotta do it.

* * *

I love her.

* * *

TBC


	9. Part 8

A/N: Wow. You make one interesting familial connection and people suddenly love your work.

* * *

**K-master dumb:** Ok, calm down, I've continued. All happy now? Goody!

**Mystic Mewtwo:** Sashara's had a lot to cope with, including her new life with Mewtwo. But don't worry, she isn't totally oblivious…

**YunCyn:** Awww, you read my request! Thank you and happy you like this as well as 'I Won't Say It'!

**Bulbasaur:** Wow, I actually wrote a realistic Mewtwo fic? Cool! Picking up on the Legendaries…well, just read on.

**Cosmic Mewtwo:** This fic won't go unfinished, don't worry! And yay for romance as well!

**Goldie:** I like angst. It's just writing it can be a real bitch.

**Miah Tolensky:** Oooooh. Could I use that line if I give you credit for it?

**VMorticia:** Apart from this chapter, haven't decided re. more songfics, but you'll know soon enough. Ouch. You really were having a bad day when you wrote that review.

**Markus Youki:** You're embarrassing me. Stop it. And as for the little suggestion…it'll happen, trust me.

**Gregory Stephen/nightdragon0:** With the current plot revelations, the fic has gone a little darker, but it will get less angsty as it moves on.

* * *

Disclaimer: Sashara and Penumbra - mine. Mewtwo and everything else remotely cool - Satoshi Tajiri, 4Kids and Nintendo. Anyone who's ever watched Pokemon or listened to the CD '2 B A Master' will recognise the chorus of 'Misty's Song'. And no, I don't own it either, much as I love it.

Warnings: The usual angst dose. The romance between Mewtwo and Sashara is starting to emerge from this chapter onwards, so if you don't like the thought of a Pokemon and a Pokemon-human hybrid getting together, then don't read this fic. I will mercilessly ridicule any and all flames, then delete them.

_Italics_ denotes Pokemon speech

The shifting plot perspective in this part is in _**italics.**_

* * *

**Forgotten: Part 8**

* * *

I didn't leave her side that night. Not even to meditate.

Sleep eventually wrapped Sashara in its embrace as she finished sobbing her heart out in the shadows of Mount Caina. Penumbra had curled up beside her, occasionally licking her tears from her cheeks.

As soon as her breathing had slowed down to the odd hitched sob, I roused myself long enough to carry her underneath the mountain, settling her under a cluster of small trees and covering her with a blanket.

After everything she had shown me, after all those revelations…she was someone who I was meant, conditioned even, to hate with all of my genetically engineered soul.

But yet…I love her.

One simple phrase. Three one-syllable words. And I could never say those words to her without breaking my heart.

Vaguely focussing my eyes on the spring, I remembered part of a song I had heard long ago. After I had encountered Ash Ketchum on New Island. After the light had cleared from the Psychic Blasts, and his body lay lifeless on the stadium floor; somehow, I had heard the thoughts of his female companion.

Misty.

Out of curiosity, I had listened to that song as she had cried for her fallen friend.

* * *

'…_I wanna tell you what I'm feeling, but I don't know how to start.  
I wanna tell you, but now I'm afraid that you might break my heart.  
Why should anything so easy ever be so hard to do?  
I wanna tell you what I'm feeling, and to say that…I love you…_'

* * *

At the time, I merely took the song to be mawkishly human, sentimental rubbish for the weak. And now I finally understood what she had meant by those words.

Love does hurt.

_Mewtwo?_

I shook my head slightly and looked down. Penumbra was carrying a short branch in its mouth, a few berries hanging off the end. Evidently they were meant for me.

_Giovanni…my parents told me of him. Do you believe what she showed you?_

'She had no reason to lie. And in any case, it's impossible to lie through a Psychic meld. All of it is true.'

I pulled one of the berries off the branch and chewed on it, barely tasting its juices.

_So…will you tell her?_

'Tell her what?'

_That you love her. You can't hide that. If I can guess what you feel for her, then she'll guess as well._

I sighed. Sometimes that Pokemon seemed too smart to be just a child.

'Not yet. But…'

_Soon._

* * *

Ocean blue…lightening yellow…flame red…the colours seemed to swirl constantly. And in the centre of the hurricane…a glitter of blue and pink…

Blinking the haze from my eyes, it took me a few seconds to register that the caves were filled with light. But it was still dark; the moon was still high. No human-made power source could produce that light.

A Pokemon…a Legendary at that…it had to be…

Mew?

No…even she couldn't produce that amount of light. That meant…

Three.

Three beings had surrounded Sashara's body as she slept.

The first possessed deep yellow and black striped fur, its dark blue lightning forked tail twitching back and forth while a small mane of dark purple rain clouds rested against the back of its almost lion-like head.

The second, the largest of the three, tilted its red and yellow crested head at the sight of the sleeping human, its dark red fur and the white mane on its back bristling with curiosity.

The third, easily the most petite, stepped forward, its lavender hued mane swirling through the air as it sniffed Sashara. Its body was a clear turquoise colour, smaller diamond-shaped of lighter blue covering its flanks. Two streams of white formed its tail, while its heavy blue crest shimmered in the light of its companions' auras.

Raikou, Entei and Suicune. The Legendary Dogs of Lightning, Fire and Water.

But why were they here?

Penumbra yawned and blinked beside me, its tiny body tensing up as it saw the light. _What is it?_

'The Dogs…'

The Eevee fell silent almost instantly. Apparently it had heard of the Legendary Dogs of Johto. As for me...

Unlike the Birds, I had believed the Dogs to be a myth. There were only a few sightings of them in over two centuries, whereas the Birds had been observed barely a year ago in the Lugia incident.

Saying inside the shadows as much as I could, I settled myself on a small ledge and listened, Penumbra clambering into my lap as it tried to see what the Dogs were doing.

If only I had known then I was to be humiliated beyond all belief.

* * *

__

**The Dog of Lightning instinctively raised its hackles as Entei and Suicune continued to study the sleeping body.**

**'Be careful. She may be part Pokemon, but she is also still human.'**

**'Calm yourself, my brother.'**

**The great Fire Pokemon held in a canine sigh. Eternal existence with the Legendary Dog of Lightning was not a task for the faint of heart. He and Raikou had both descended from the clouds so many millennia ago, and through most of that time he had been the one to keep his younger sibling in check. The role of the calming influence on the Lightning Pokemon had been passed to Raikou's mate for the past few hundred years.**

**'She will not attack. Not after her revelation to the created Legendary.'**

**'You are way too trusting, Entei.'**

**'And you are far too cynical, my love.'**

**The slender Dog of Water placed a paw against the human's forehead and concentrated. Her ruby eyes shone with concern as she examined the girl's thoughts and life experiences. She had been through so much, so much worse than the one known as Mewtwo. But now it was critical to find out for certain.**

**If her father and creator had broken what the three of them had feared, there would be no hope for this poor child.**

**Raikou watched with apprehension as his mate delved deeper into the recesses of the human's mind. His nervousness around the human world was ingrained. Any time he had tried to roam freely around the Earth, he had faced Pokemon trainers trying to capture him, his brother or his mate. But like Entei and Suicune, the girl that Mew had told them of had intrigued him. A genetically engineered Pokemon-human hybrid with the powers of a Legendary…**

**But the void around her…she had seen so much death and pain. More often than not, she had been the cause of it.**

**There was hope though. That pain had been caused by someone no longer in her life. But if they had damaged or somehow tainted her soul and her will…**

**'Well?'**

**The Dog of Water slowly looked up at him, a small canine smile on her perfect face. 'There is hope. Her soul is still pure, and her will is strong.'**

**Entei settled back and rested his head on his gigantic front paws. 'And?'**

**'And what?'**

**'I know you too well, Suicune. You have found something of interest, hmm?'**

**'Something else? Whatisitwhatisitwhatisit?' Raikou was almost bursting with curiosity as he bounced around on the pads of his paws.**

**'That was immature even by your standards, Raikou.'**

**The look of pretend hurt on the Dog's face was too pathetic to ignore.**

**Suicune shook her head as she nuzzled her hyperactive partner. 'You're a gigantic overgrown electricity-conducting puppy and I love you. Just as our young friend here cares about a certain Psychic Pokemon.'**

**The Dog of Fire blinked and smiled almost indulgently at Sashara's body. 'Mewtwo.'**

**'Mmm-hmm.'**

**'It's already happening then?'**

**Suicune sighed. 'Her feelings for Mewtwo exist freely of the drugs she had been using to suppress her memories. Time, space, even the universe can end. The only thing that endures is love.'**

**The Dog of Lightning frowned slightly. 'And what of Mewtwo's hatred of all that connects to his creator?' **

**'There is that as well. But to be honest, I don't think that's a problem right now.'**

**'And why not?'**

**'Because he loves her in the same way. And that, as far as I can tell, will never change. But still, the young one's fate is teetering on the edge of a knife.'**

**Entei nodded solemnly. 'She can follow the path of self-hatred and end her life no better than Giovanni, or she can follow another path, harder yes, but at the end, she will truly become a Legendary.'**

**The Dog of Water held in a yap of mirth. 'But none of that can happen without a little…nudge…in the right direction.' **

**'And you're going to give her that nudge.'**

**'You can never say I don't care, Entei.'**

**'Hmmm.'**

**The Fire Pokemon smiled, stretched and walked with Raikou towards the cave entrance. 'Do what you need to, then back into the spring with you.'**

**'Yes master.' The playful sarcasm in her tone was evident. She sighed as she watched her friend and her mate leave for the heavens before turning her attention back to the sleeping human.**

**Placing a paw over Sashara's heart, she bowed her dark head and closed her eyes. 'Trust in him, young one. You are the light in his darkness, just as he is the light in yours.'**

**Her job done, Suicune bent her neck slightly and licked a stray tear from the human's face. She would survive somehow, of that the Dog of Water was certain.**

**Stretching, she finally turned and stared straight into the eyes of the being who had been present since she and her companions had arrived…**

* * *

'Do not give up, child of Mew.' Her voice was psychically projected into my mind as she spoke.

'You worry that she might stray. But that will not be not the case if you are there for her.'

A fountain of ice rose from the surface of the waters as Suicune padded towards the bank of the spring. Settling onto her haunches, she glanced over at the sleeping human with an almost maternal expression on her face.

'The apple never falls far from the tree, unless a wind blows it away.'

The ice melted instantly around the Dog's body as she departed below the surface of Clarity Lake. Even the rush of water couldn't blur her last words.

'…Mewtwo, you _are_ that wind.' (1)

* * *

TBC

(1) Credit for this line goes to Miah Tolensky. Many thanks!


	10. Part 9

A/N: Second Christmas present!! OK, it's a lot late, but you try transporting yourself from Scotland to Belfast without some residual confusion.

* * *

**STK:** I get all red and embarrassed when people say nice stuff about my work…

**VMorticia:** See, I always thought they were Cats as well. Then someone said they were Dogs, and then someone said they were Beasts, and then it just got complicated.

**Cosmic Mewtwo:** And heeeeeeeeeeeeere's…another chapter! (The Shining. Great movie, if a tad freaky.)

**Miah Tolensky:** 'Twas a very cool little quote if I may say so myself. Thanks muchly!

**Mystic Mewtwo:** Hehehe…starts getting less angsty and more romantic from now on. Yay for romance!

**K-Kaze-2:** Yay indeed!

**Goldie:** There are more important things to worry about than school I admit (Speaketh the woman who slept through most of secondary school and still got into university), but I do feel a tad guilty for making you get extra homework!

**YunCyn:** Awww, I only just thought of Beauty and the Beast when you mentioned it. I think it works well.

* * *

Disclaimer: Sashara and Penumbra are mine. Steal them at your own risk. Mewtwo and all other Pokemon references are the property of several other important evil empires, mostly Nintendo and 4Kids; I don't own 'em, and never will either.

Warning: This fic is categorised angst/romance for a reason. If you haven't worked that out by now…hoo boy. And this is R-rated for another reason. I'll be posting another clearer warning before _that_ reason, so if you don't like it, don't read it.

_Italics_ denote Pokemon speech

* * *

**Forgotten: Part 9**

* * *

So much for subtlety.

I mentally cursed every god I'd ever heard of for creating the Legendary Pokemon with all the tact and diplomacy of a brick through a plate-glass window.

But Suicune's discovery…

Sashara…had feelings…for me?

But…

* * *

It would be an easy task to deny the Aurora Pokemon's findings as nothing more than a cruel joke, taunting me, waving my emotions in my face.

And still…

'_Just as our young friend here cares about a certain Psychic Pokemon…_'

Raikou and Suicune. The two Dogs were in love. A relationship of mind, body and soul. Could that relationship ever apply to Sashara and I?

A year ago I would have denied this possibility. A clone cannot feel any kind of emotion towards another. A clone cannot understand what love is. And the thought of a physical relationship had revolted me. Humans devoted too much of their lives to the act of procreation. As clones, we had no right to breed, to bring other lives into this world.

Evidently Nidoqueen and Rhyhorn had believed otherwise.

Did Sashara love me in that way? Mentally, spiritually and physically?

As soon as she was ready to fight once more, I would find out for certain.

* * *

If Sashara was trying to pretend that nothing had happened between us in the past few days, she was doing remarkably well.

It was impressive.

And needless to say, it was also incredibly frustrating.

Penumbra had dozed in the evening shade for the last two hours while I had been throwing every Psychic and Ghost attack currently known at Sashara. Mirroring her earlier behaviour, she was sitting in a semi-lotus position under a Shield, staring out at some distant target. But unlike her previous antisocial behaviour, she didn't seem to be acting remotely aggressive.

But the hurt…the anger…it was there, still under the surface.

And I was about to do my damnedest to get it out.

'Pitying yourself isn't going to help you get through this.'

She raised her head long enough to shoot me a look of pure loathing. 'Yeah? Maybe I just feel like dying out of sheer disgust. That ever occurred to you?'

'Yes, and it is not a road you would wish to go down.'

The Shield lifted a few feet higher as she rose, one angry tear falling onto her hand. 'What if I _wish_ to go down that road?'

'I would try to stop you by any means necessary.'

I sighed and walked up to the edge of the projection, Psychic energy crackling barely a few inches from my face. It was easy to recognise the look on her face.

She wanted something, anything to blame for her situation. And right now, the only person she felt she could blame was herself.

'Sashara.'

Her gaze met mine.

'If you want to blame someone for what happened to you, blame Giovanni. Blame your creator. Blame your father.'

A sea of tears and emotions swirled around in her eyes. It took a fair amount of control to stay afloat.

'And that's supposed to cure me somehow?' Her eyes finally blazed. The Sashara I once knew was finally coming back.

I raised an eyebrow. 'No. But you would have an outlet for your rage.'

'I already _have_ a perfectly good outlet for my rage.'

/Be ready to fight./ I crouched low, anticipating her attack. 'The outlet being?'

'Beating the cloned shit out of you.'

'I thought as much.'

* * *

The Fire Punch just missed my right shoulder, grazing the short fur. As her Shield dropped, I let loose a full-strength Tri-Beam, directing it so that it would hit her left thigh. She rolled out from the beam's reach, throwing a Shadow Ball as she went.

Casting Protect, I floated into the sky and concentrated. While Metronome is fairly unpredictable, on occasions it is possible to call upon a fairly powerful attack.

A Solarbeam flew towards the ground, catching her square in the chest. It wouldn't be enough to knock her out. With her ability to perform Dark-type moves came the increased Special Defence stats. At most, the beam would give her a nasty rash.

The jolt of the Grass attack drew her attention towards the sky. Seemingly effortlessly, she leapt into the air, one fist raised to the heavens as electrical energy crackled around her.

Lightening flashed as she powered up her Thunder attack. However, she had made one critical mistake.

Both of us being in the air, there was a high probability that said attack would hit her as well as me.

* * *

We both screamed as the electrical attack hit us at full power. The remains of my energy went into making sure I didn't hit the ground too hard as I fell. Sashara was only slightly luckier. She managed to land and struggle to her feet with marginal success.

End this now.

My paws glowed as I cast Metronome once again. Apparently my opponent had the same idea. Her index fingers shone with energy. And this attack she wouldn't be able to dodge.

Just as I would never be able to avoid hers.

Her hands formed a triangle as she aimed and fired. Hoping that I had enough energy to cast my own attack, I raised my arms and fired.

* * *

A haze…peace…some sort of intoxication…and her…

My body and mind seemed to slow down as I stared at her…nothing except her…

No…fight it!! Fight it…

I don't want to…

I shook my head, forcing the…haze from my mind.

It came back with force when I stared at…her…

Her eyes were unfocussed, staring at…me…

Reality and common sense cut through the haze.

The odds of my casting this were at least two hundred to one.

But her casting the same attack at the same time…oh joy.

There was only one way to halt the effects of the attack. One of us had to faint. But when neither of us could think straight…

A movement from Sashara's direction regained my attention. She had managed to fight the attack for the moment, but after a while it would return.

I tried not to look at her as an Ice Beam surrounded her body. It was the only attack I had strength left for.

* * *

A few seconds, and I felt the effects of Attract gratefully depart. But as for her…

She had passed out, a few random chunks of ice frozen onto her face and clothes. It would be around half an hour before she came round unless I tried to warm her up. Levitating a small pile of branches towards us, I cast Ember and shifted her body as close to the fire as I could manage.

Penumbra had woken instantly when the Thunder had struck us. Trotting over to the fire, it settled next to Sashara's unconscious body. _You two made an interesting show before she fainted._

'It was not intentional. I had to remove the effects of Attract as fast as I could.'

_Why did you try to remove the effects of the attack? I though you loved her._

Thank the gods she was still unconscious. 'I do…but I will not take advantage of her when both of us have been affected by a random surge of lust.'

_Ever noble. But still…that could've been your only chance to tell her._

'If we were meant to be, then there will be another chance.'

_I hope so Mewtwo. I do._

* * *

Night had fallen completely by the time Sashara's breathing had steadied. Pulling the blanket over her body, I sat down next to her, taking the opportunity to think for a while as she recovered.

The power of Attract…it had been hard not to simply open my heart to her, knowing through Suicune that she felt the same way. But it simply wasn't right. Once she had recovered from the faint, she would have only a vague memory of my confession, and there was no possible way I could do that to either of us.

But Penumbra did have a point. What if that really had been my only chance?

No…there would be another opportunity.

There had to be.

* * *

A small groan caught my attention. She was finally conscious.

'I see the Ice Beam worked.'

She didn't reply or try to sit up. Her fingers touched her temples as her brow creased. I could only guess how tender her head was after that last attack.

Deciding to risk an onslaught of verbal abuse, I closed my eyes and pressed a paw to one of her temples, trying to sense how severe her injuries were, if any.

Not a word of protest was uttered.

This was interesting. And unsettling.

Especially when one of her hands closed over my paw.

I opened my eyes and stared down at her. 'What?'

'That attack…'

'Ice Beam?'

She rolled her eyes and frowned once again. 'Attract.'

'What about it?'

'Are there any…?' She looked…embarrassed…for lack of a better word.

'Are there any what?'

Now she blushed. 'Are there any…residual effects to the attack?'

'None that I know of.'

She looked relieved. 'Thank God for that.'

* * *

It was somewhere in the middle of that sentence that my heart broke. Suicune had botched her examination somehow. Sashara didn't have feelings for me.

For the sake of appearances, I kept going. 'Why do you ask?'

There was no answer. She just kept staring up at me, her hand over mine, still resting against her head.

But her eyes…somehow they had changed. Something had joined her rage and pain…something new…something closely resembling Attract…but stronger.

Her other hand tentatively reached up and touched the side of my face.

The fire still burned whenever she touched me.

'I…just wanted to be sure…'

I briefly wondered if her actions was intentional before she ran her fingers down my cheek. Not even I could mistake that movement as a mere accident.

Just like I couldn't mistake her actions as her eyes drifted shut and her lips met mine.

* * *

Even on reflection, I still find it impossible to describe what it feels like to taste perfection.

All I would be able to say is that for a brief time, all that existed in my universe was Sashara and myself.

Like a child, I wanted perfection to last forever.

It didn't.

* * *

TBC


	11. Part 10

A/N: Really really REALLY sorry about how late this part is! But needless to say, the romance has officially started!

* * *

**Anthony 67:** Screaming is not productive to my thought processes. And here's your next part.

**Anguirus111:** I hate romances with no plots, so I tried to find a decent plot for this.

**Goldie:** I am not extremely talented, now stop it. And I love 'Attract' as well. Loud and unruly…I like your class!

**Miah Tolensky:** Indeed awww!

**Cosmic Mewtwo:** You're not left hanging any more!

**Kaze-2:** Thank you! And sorry about calling you the wrong name!

**VMorticia:** My cheat guide says how to catch the Legendary Dogs. Weird.

**Nightdragon0:** I find emotional stuff is often quite difficult to write without it sounding really sappy. And I love the Dogs.

**YunCyn:** Again, I try not to do mushy too often. Since Mewtwo's never been in love before and he's still only learning about it, I'm trying to approach the fic with this in mind. Short chapters are evil. Hence the reason I try not to write them.

* * *

Disclaimer: Sashara and Penumbra are mine, so no stealing. Mewtwo and everything else belongs to Nintendo, 4Kids, and Satoshi Tajiri.

Warnings: Cross-species romance (Pokemon x human). If this doesn't appeal, don't read any further.

_Italics_ denote Pokemon speech

* * *

**Forgotten: Part 10**

* * *

For the first time in my life, I didn't meditate through the night. A clear, focused mind was required for meditation.

Currently, my mind was anything except clear and focused.

Sashara and I had kissed.

She had initiated it.

And I had enjoyed it.

Where did I go from here? The dynamics of bonds between Pokemon couldn't apply to us. Neither could the relationship between humans apply.

A bonding between a Pokemon and a Pokemon/human hybrid…

* * *

I sighed and stared up at the moon as I floated aimlessly above Mount Caina.

I have always tried to think with my head, priding myself on being logical under any circumstances. Decisions I have made in the past, under the sway of my emotions, have always resulted in something…or someone…getting hurt.

Or killed.

After the New Island incident, I declared my emotions off-limits, denying that I even possessed them. I needed only a brain, capable of rational thought.

But when she had kissed me…a barrier was lifted.

The barrier that had prevented me from revealing any emotion.

I could control my anger, rage, fear…all of them were simple base feelings.

But love.

It was a base feeling.

One that I was completely inexperienced in controlling.

* * *

A pink shimmer to my left brought me out of my musings.

'You're loving this, aren't you? Mewtwo, the most powerful cloned Pokemon on Earth and he can't cope with experiencing love.'

My one-time nemesis quietly observed Sashara warming herself by the fire, the Eevee curled up next to her. _I'm not. Just because I can experience love doesn't necessarily mean I can cope with it any better than you can._

'If it's even possible, I think I've just gotten more depressed.'

Mew giggled, her paws coming up to cover her mouth. _Love is one of the most illogical, irrational constants in the universe._

'And I'm perfectly equipped _not_ to deal with it.'

_That's not so. You just have to let your instincts be your guide…_

I threw my paws up in frustration. 'What good are my instincts!? My instincts got Ash Ketchum killed. My instincts could have destroyed you and this planet. My instincts…'

She cut me off sharply. _Your instincts told you to release Sashara. Your instincts told you to protect her and train her…__Your instincts…and your heart… are telling you that you love her._

I paused. My…heart?

_You know I'm right._

'And I hate it every time you are.'

_Some things never change. But I will say this…_

I was actually taking advice on relationships from a pink, flying cat. I just prayed Sashara wasn't watching this.

_She's been through too much already. If you do choose to pursue a bond with her, you will have to deal with her past…_

* * *

Deal with her past…

I knew she was Giovanni's daughter, an experimental clone as I am.

She was used as a laboratory experiment, as I was.

She had killed, as I had been forced to do.

But…the rape.

The conception as a result of the rape.

The self-inflicted abortion…

Logically, that was the only event of Sashara's past that I would have to deal with, as Mew so delicately put it.

But I had never experienced anything such as rape. I had no desire to understand it either, but if I wanted her to stay with me, then so be it.

* * *

Neither of us spoke for a while as we stared into the dying embers of the fire. I still had no idea if she had seen or heard any of my discussion with Mew, and oddly enough, I was too apprehensive to ask.

Sashara directed a small Ember blast into the heart of the fire, the sudden rise in heat creating a flurry of sparks.

'It's hardly a crime to care about someone.'

I didn't even try to deny what she said. 'It may not be a crime, but for me…all of those whom I care about have ended up dead.'

'Ash Ketchum and the cloned Pokemon.'

/If only you knew./

'I do.'

I turned my head sharply. Truly impressive, being able to read my thoughts without my sensing her intrusion.

'I know about the initial drive behind the cloning experiments; Giovanni's goal to create the world's most powerful Pokemon…but I also know about the original cloned Pokemon…about that one scientist's obsession with the cloning process…'

She looked away from me, closing her eyes. '…I know about Ai.'

* * *

Not this.

Anything but this.

The reason I had hated humans so much…the reason I had hated myself so much.

The real reason I had tried to hate Sashara.

Her voice sounded as if it was speaking from a great distance away.

'I may have been created before her, but it was the process which created me that that scientist was so desperate to replicate…to clone his daughter.'

'Even in cryogenic sleep I could still sense the outside world to a certain degree. I could only sense what occurred inside the lab though…but I sensed her. I felt her presence, her hope…'

/Her death./

She didn't acknowledge the thought. 'After that…nothing.'

I stood up, tears blurring my sight.

Anything, anything to make it stop, to make the pain go away, to stop me seeing Ai's death over and over again…

'You cared about her.'

I fought back a sob. 'Yes.'

'…You loved her.'

'Yes.'

Silence. Blissful silence. I shook my head, shoving the tears back inside where they belonged. Ai was dead. No storms of tears would bring her back.

No tears had been shed for her.

No tears for a clone.

* * *

I barely registered two arms looping around my waist from behind my back. I didn't respond to the heat of Sashara's body next to mine.

But I couldn't ignore her head resting against my back.

Or the tears flowing down her face onto my fur.

'It's not a crime to love someone.'

Her voice shook, but she carried on. 'It's not a crime to grieve.'

'It's not a crime to cry for someone you lost…someone _we_ lost.'

* * *

The two of us stood under the light of the full moon, tears streaking down our faces as we grieved for a life that should have remained just that.

A life.

Singular.

Unique.

Ai.

* * *

TBC

A/N2: I know it's the curse of the Evil Short Chapters of Doom, but hey, I tried!


	12. Part 11

A/N: All reviewers please read the footnote at the end of the fic. Nothing nasty or serious, honest.

* * *

**Chibi-Mariah:** Aww, shucks. Thank you for the positive sentiments!!

**Miah Tolensky:** Correct guess, and as to what our little time-travelling Pokemon has seen in Mewtwo's future…Celebi won't be laughing maniacally though; he's too damn cute for that.

**Izzy:** Mewtwo lovers unite! Very glad you like the fic.

**Goldie:** Sheeesh. I always thought I was emotionally stunted. Hell, I just do what the voices in my head tell me to do. Mewtwo's voice appears to be the serious yet sweet one. Bless.

**VMorticia:** Alas, poor Draco…slightly adapted Shakespeare quote.

**Kaze-2:** Continuing now!

**Anthony67:** Apology cheerfully accepted. Enjoy the next part!

**Cosmic Mewtwo:** I've been killing to mention Ai for some time, but I wasn't sure I had enough background info on her. Even I was a bit weepy after writing the last chapter, and that's saying something.

* * *

Disclaimer: I own Sashara and Penumbra. Would kill to own Mewtwo, but he, like everything else, is the property of Nintendo, 4Kids and Satoshi Tajiri.

Warning: Angst, romantic relationship between Pokemon-human hybrid and Pokemon. Slightly depressing talk about suicide in this part.

_Italics_ denote Pokemon speech

**_Italics_** denote Celebi's POV. Thank you Miah Tolensky!

* * *

**Forgotten: Part 11**

* * *

__

'…If she dies we can always create another one…'

__

'…I will make as many copies as it takes to get her back…'

__

'…You can't destroy it! It'll take years to clone it again…'

Contrary to what many believe, I did hear Domino's words to Giovanni as I hung in a grotesque parody of the Crucifixion above Mount Caina.

So reassuring to learn that Team Rocket still thought of life and independent autonomy as nothing more than disposable commodities.

* * *

From what I had learned from the Cerulean lab records, Sashara was the only 'successful' product of the cloning project to contain replicated human genetic material combined with Pokemon DNA. The computer simulations of the Mew DNA combined perfectly with an abnormality in Giovanni's genetic makeup, ironically making him the perfect human donor for the project.

Ai's father had participated in the experiments and had later attempted to use the same methods with untampered genetic material to clone his daughter. At the same time, he had commenced the final experiment of the cloning project using enhanced Mew DNA with selected human genetic traits instead of genetic material.

Two artificial, unnatural lives, two products of science born out of violence, designed to be nothing more than killing machines, designed to be expendable should violence take its course…those two lives had survived.

A life that truly belonged to this world, a consciousness that had the capability to learn, to grow, a body which could age, bear young, die peacefully after a long and natural life…that life had been completely destroyed.

I could see why he bore the two of us nothing but contempt.

* * *

'Some lives are allowed to perish and others to live. We didn't have a choice whether to live or not and neither did Ai.'

Sashara prodded the embers of the fire with a tree branch.

I raised an eyebrow. 'And you had no choice but to live, even though you had the power to take your own life?'

She shook her head. 'I didn't even have that choice. I wore the same armour as you did Mewtwo. My powers were 'focused' just as yours were. Suicide was impossible for me…even though I thought about it.'

'And you still didn't take your life even after I freed you.'

She sighed and stood up, using her Psychic abilities to help her float off the ground.

'Because my life had no purpose. It never has done…and it never will.'

* * *

I gazed up after her as she floated several hundred feet above the lake and gazed out over Purity Canyon. Both of us had become accustomed to spending the light hours training and the dark hours sitting under the stars.

Ever since that night when she had revealed her knowledge of Ai, I had stayed with her every waking and sleeping moment afterwards. The nightmares still plagued her, as did her memories of the lab…and her father.

It…infuriated me that I could do little for her besides listen to her when she needed me and try to soothe her back to sleep every night.

Floating behind her, I pulled her frame backwards into a loose embrace, still trying to ignore the feelings of fire consuming my body whenever I touched her.

'All of us who live have a purpose in this world. We may have been created to serve Giovanni's purposes…but there is another reason why we are here.'

She leaned back against me. 'Which is…?'

'I don't know. But whatever your purpose is…' I turned her around to face me.

'…I will be with you…always.'

Her hands rested against the sides of my face; her fingers stroking my fur as she floated even closer to me.

'And if my purpose takes me away from here?'

'Then…I would still be with you. In spirit at least.'

'Only in spirit?'

I repressed a sigh and rested my forehead against hers. The unspoken question I never wanted to have to answer or even think about.

I had never found out why exactly Sashara's genetic profile had been modified so that her human characteristics were dominant, but it appeared that Giovanni had given her an insurmountable advantage over me.

She could walk freely in the light of the sun, no one knowing that she was a Pokemon/human hybrid until they faced her in battle.

I would forever have to walk in the shadows of the moon, whether I wanted to or not. People and Pokemon alike would fear me simply for my appearance.

If I stayed with Sashara beyond the reach of Mount Caina…neither of us would belong.

If her purpose took her away from Mount Caina…away from me…

She shivered slightly and curled her body against mine; her eyes boring into my own as I studied her. I forced myself to remember that she was a member of the Giovanni bloodline…and that she was still just a girl, looking for reassurance that the one being who cared for her was not about to abandon her to her fate, whatever it might be.

I pressed my lips to her forehead and then to her lips, breathing in the scent of her hair and skin.

* * *

The question still lingered, unanswered, unacknowledged.

If her purpose took her away from here, would I still be with her…?

/…Only in spirit./

It was all I had to give to her.

And all she could ever take from me.

* * *

**_No one heard the interloper._**

**_An eternity spent appearing and disappearing from various timelines had given the tiny Psychic/Grass Pokemon a lot of practice in disguising his presence._**

**_'Biiiiiii…'_**

**_Sometimes, the only way to express his emotions properly was with the Pokemon tongue. Unlike his cloned contemporary, he still used the singular language bestowed on his lineage._**

**_The Tongue of the Celebi, as it was affectionately called._**

**_Suicune, Entei, Raikou and dear Mew had not been exaggerating when they had informed him of how fast the situation was progressing. Even knowing this himself was of little comfort._**

**_The laws of time and space still applied even to a creature such as him. He could only very gently steer the course of the future through the actions of others. Interfering with the timeline directly could irretrievably destroy the events he sought to protect._**

**_Luckily, it hadn't stopped him from making an…arrangement…with a certain Pokemon…_**

_**'…Half-Shadow...'**_

**_The Eevee's ears pricked up instantly. It recognised the playful voice behind the words._**

**_Trying not to attract the clones attention, it stood and walked a short distance until it was hidden under the cover of a nearby gorse bush._**

_**'Traveller? Did everything go as planned?'**_

**_The vaguely shimmery area before Penumbra wavered before reforming into the grassy white and green visage of the Time-Traveller Pokemon, his aqua-blue eyes shining in the moonlight._**

**_'You've done well to keep them going this far.'_**

**_The Eevee nodded slowly. _****_'It…hasn't been easy.'_**

**_'Because you care about both of them?'_**

**_'They're my friends, Traveller. I…I just don't want to see them get hurt.'_**

**_Celebi sighed. 'If what I saw in the future is to come to pass, hurting both of them is the only way that this whole sorry situation can be made right.'_**

**_'There isn't another way around it?'_**

**_'If there were an alternative course of action, Half-Shadow, I would gladly take it. But…we just don't have the luxury of choice.'_**

**_The tiny green Pokemon placed a claw on the Eevee's white fur ruff. 'I don't like this any more than you do, my friend. But ultimately, it will do more good than harm for them.'_**

**_'If it's what you've seen to be the best way, then-'_**

**_Penumbra broke off as it shivered involuntarily and closed its dark eyes, almost as if it was trying desperately to repress something inside its body…or its soul._**

**_Although he was not experienced with the changes himself, Celebi did feel sympathy for the young one's plight._**

**_'The time of change is coming, Half-Shadow. You can't fight it forever.'_**

**_'I can fight it until I feel that I can cope with helping to break their hearts.'_**

**_'Your body will destroy itself unless you accept the change. Unless you do, this whole situation will never be rectified.'_**

**_The Eevee looked down at the ground. It was not that the time of change would not be welcomed…but rather, it was that the change would be the start of the apparent end._**

**_And no matter what ultimate good the Traveller said would come of it, no amount of evolution was ever going to take away the feelings of guilt it would forever hold in its heart._**

* * *

TBC

A/N: If you read this far, thank you kindly. Now to business.

Can I take a quick vote from everyone on what they would think of a very subtle lemony taste being added to the fic? One part only, nothing graphic, sordid or sappy. This is just so I can give fair warnings to everyone.

Cheers,  
Melora Maxwell


	13. Part 12

A/N: Most cheered by the support for citrussy goodness!

* * *

**Anguirus111:** To be exact, it's a lime with a few lemonish hints, nothing sordid. And no, it's a central part of the main story. Thanks for the support!

**Goldie:** Again, it will help the plot and I don't do graphic details. I am not a graphic details person. As for Penumbra evolving - wait and see.

**YunCyn:** Thanks for citrus support! And don't worry about not reviewing; I know reality interrupts fics far too often for everyone's liking.

**Izzy:** Curse of the Evil Short Chapters of Doom, I'm afraid. More citrus support, woo!

**Miah Tolensky:** Hey, I write this and _I_ want Penumbra to evolve more than anything! He's already evolved on my Pokemon Crystal cartridge.

**VMorticia:** Ok, see that scene you wrote in ATHSS: Prophecy of Darkness? The Draco/female-Harry one? That's pretty much a lemon. Citrus is the anime term for sex scenes.

**Cosmic Mewtwo:** He might not like it, but Penumbra is most definitely plotting along with Celebi to help Mewtwo and Sashara, bless his little white ruff. Yet more citrus support! I'll try not to disappoint!

**Sierrakoi:** Really, really flattered that you like this fic so much - it just settled into my head during the last few times screwed up. All Mewtwo lovers unite!

* * *

Disclaimer: I own an angsty and sweet if quiet Mewtwo muse, does that count against me? Ok, own nothing except Sashara and Penumbra. All else is the property of Nintendo, 4Kids, and Satoshi Tajiri.

Warning: Regular dollop of angsty goodness, Mewtwo + Sashara relationship now in swing. Getting kinda heated in this part (NO CITRUS YET!) and semi-veiled references to sex, so if you don't like this, don't read it. Flames are not productive to my angst processes.

_Italics_ denote Pokemon speech

_**Italics**_ indicate Penumbra's POV.

* * *

**Forgotten: Part 12**

* * *

Human philosophers have argued that if a non-human creature that feels, moves and breathes can be said to possess a soul, then it logically follows that the creature will also have interests or wishes.

Logically, it will possess the wish of living without suffering or misery; the wish of living a long and pleasurable life; and the primal wish of mating; producing offspring to ensure the creature a limited form of immortality.

Indeed, I desire to live in peace, to live without suffering or misery, and to live a long and prosperous existence. However, the wish to mate and produce offspring never interested me. Possessing Mew's DNA meant that I would live indefinitely, just as she and the rest of her kind did.

Humans however, they see the act of mating as more than a means to produce offspring; it is a demonstration of both their physical and emotional desires for each other.

But unless the beings involved in the union both share physical and emotional desire for each other, mating becomes nothing more than a weapon, a means to inflict cruelty, as Sashara's repressed memories had revealed to me.

It seemed critical at that moment in time that I should find out if my bond with her was based on these desires.

Particularly if these desires took on a more...physical...manifestation.

* * *

With Penumbra curled uncomfortably beside her, Sashara was perched on one of the outcrops along the crater of Mount Caina, staring blankly out over the treetops. I had no wish to disturb her; to be perfectly honest, I was glad of the solitude at this moment in time.

I had no desire to be held responsible for any...less than pure actions I might take if left alone with her.

I gazed up at the moon, not particularly enjoying the direction in which my thoughts were taking me.

* * *

They seemed...wrong, for lack of a more accurate word. Wrong that I should even be considering that kind of emotional expression, wrong that I should feel this way about a being that was created as the offspring of my nemesis...even the act itself seemed wrong.

Not least because of Sashara's horrific experiences and my own inexperience.

I dropped my head into my paws and rubbed my temples. This whole situation was alien to me. Unfortunately it was becoming necessary to understand both it and the emotions teaming in my brain.

Under the circumstances, I attempted to sort my thoughts laterally.

I knew that I emotionally desired her. Her thoughts, her abilities, her strength, our shared heritage and hatred of Giovanni made her my intellectual equal.

But as for any physical desire...

I sighed. How to distinguish physical desire...I risked a backward glance at the outcrop, hoping that she wouldn't be aware of me.

There was no denying that she was beautiful, by both human and Pokemon standards. Black hair falling past her shoulders, courtesy of her father's Italian heritage. Light olive skin, the scars and wounds from the lab mostly healed. A slender body, curved in the correct places, yet still showing signs of malnourishment and ill treatment, despite my efforts to make her gain weight. Black-brown eyes, intelligent and expressive, but still as haunted as my own.

It was impossible to look at her and see her beauty without seeing the pain inflicted on her by others. It would most likely be impossible for the rest of her life.

* * *

_Always seeing imperfection in everything._

I didn't bother looking up at the floating pink Legendary. 'Do you honestly expect me to be able to look at her without seeing what was done to her? Without seeing everything I despise in someone that I...I...'

I broke off before I could embarrass myself any further.

_Love?_

I couldn't answer her. My silence was taken as both an acknowledgement and permission to go on.

_What do you feel inside when you look at her?_

I rubbed my temples again. From long association, Mew would refuse to back down until she had an answer.

'...Need. Need that feels like nothing less than a blow to the gut.'

_And when you touch each other?_

The ground underfoot seemed to become strangely interesting at this point.

'...Fire. Fire in my chest and stomach.'

_As I thought. You want her._

Idly, I wondered what the scientific name was for the shade of puce I was turning. 'Subtle as ever.'

The tiny Legendary tilted her head to the side as she studied my face. I had no wish to stop her, somehow knowing that whatever she was thinking would not be aided by defiance.

Finishing her inspection, she glanced up at the two figures seated at the edge of the crater and slowly nodded.

_Despite all that was forced upon her, she wants you. All I can tell you to do is go to her._

'And then...what? All of these...' I clenched my paws into fists, feeling the skin over my knuckles tighten to breaking point. '...emotions will miraculously rearrange themselves?'

_You will know what to do when the moment arrives..._

Her tail swirling in the air currents, Mew's body disappeared with a shower of pink sparks.

It only occurred to me as I sat there, alone and staring up at the moon that she had never fully answered my question.

* * *

**_Mew's nod. That was the signal._**

**_Penumbra curled its tail around its front paws as it moved closer to its companion's body, trying not to look directly up into the girl's face._**

**_Sashara was still staring out over the basin of Mount Caina, her expression blank except for when her eyes landed on Mewtwo. When they did...the Eevee shivered at the range of emotions those eyes displayed._**

**_Neither Mew nor the Traveller had initially believed how far the two clones' relationship had progressed until they had seen it themselves, Celebi instantly noticing that the time of change was about to begin in their young assistant._**

**_It had fought its evolution for many weeks now, trying and failing to quash the affection it felt for both Mewtwo and the girl. But now..._**

**_Penumbra sighed and leaned its little body against Sashara's leg._**

**_Was this how Celebi felt all the time? Knowing that every action he took had trillions of implications? Knowing that he could never form any kind of relationship in any time for fear of damaging lives or the Great Timeline? Feeling as if every innocent movement was a result of meticulous calculation destined to benefit the greater good?_**

**_The sensation of fingers scratching the top of its head brought the young Eevee out of its musings._**

**_'Sashara?'_**

**_The Pokemon-human hybrid glanced down at the small Pokemon and offered a wry smile. 'Be glad I'm just petting you and not throwing you over the cliff.'_**

**_'I am. But you won't do that now.'_**

**_She drew her legs up to her chest and wrapped her arms around her knees. 'How d'you know?'_**

**_'You don't take that odd memory suppressing drug any more.'_**

**_'True.'_**

**_She returned her gaze to the moon. 'There wasn't any point after you and Mewtwo saw all of those memories.'_**

**_'Especially Mewtwo.'_**

**_There was no reply for a brief time. Eventually the girl sighed and stared at the back of the cloned Legendary._**

**_'He would've found out sooner or later. But I guess...if you love someone...you can't ever hide the past from them.'_**

**_Penumbra's ears pricked up in shock._**

**_She...loved Mewtwo? She honestly loved the sociopathic outcast clone of Mew?_**

**_'R-really?'_**

**_She frowned for a second, then gave up fighting the flush spreading across her face._**

**_'...Really.'_**

**_The young Pokemon's eyes shone with happiness under the moonlight._**

**_She had actually said it._**

**_Sashara Giovanni was in love with Mewtwo._**

**_And that was all it needed as its body began to glow._**

* * *

The rush of evolutionary energy and light instantly dragged me out of my emotion-ridden thoughts.

Launching myself into the air, I floated high above the surface of Clarity Lake, using my Psychic abilities to pick both Sashara and the glowing from of Penumbra from the outcrop and transport them safely to the ground.

To the best of my knowledge, Eevees only evolved with the aid of Evolutionary stones, and the odds that there had been a stone lying around on the outcrop were slim to none.

Sashara, however, did not seem to share my concern. All I could sense from her was curiosity and wonder. Clearly, she was privy to some previously unknown discovery about Eevees.

I glanced at her as she stroked the Eevee's back, feeling an inexplicable rush of jealousy towards the creature.

'How?'

'Friendship or happiness, whichever you prefer.'

Happiness did not feature highly in my own knowledge of all the possible causes for evolution. 'What?'

She risked looking away from Penumbra to meet my gaze. 'After the discovery of the new breeds of Pokemon in Johto, the Pokemon researchers discovered that some Pokemon had either a pre-evolved form or a newly evolved form.'

I knew some of this already, but I let her continue. 'The newly evolved forms either require Evolutionary stones or correct evolutionary conditions, such as happiness. If a trainer and their Pokemon have this kind of relationship, the Pokemon can evolve.'

'So, the young one is evolving because of a bond with us?'

'Apparently.'

Penumbra's body was beginning to reshape itself, its ruff disappearing, its body growing more sleekly muscled...

'Its new form...?'

'It has two forms it can evolve into, depending on the time of day.'

I could feel a migraine beginning to throb. 'The first being?'

'Evolving during the day means that it'll transform into Espeon, a pure Psychic type.'

'And at night...?'

I never got the chance to finish as Penumbra yelped and the light faded from its body.

* * *

My first impression was of darkness.

This Pokemon's body seemed to absorb all the surrounding light and somehow feed off of it. Golden markings encircled its ears and tail, with two ring-shaped markings placed on either side of its front and back legs and a single ring situated on its forehead.

Two ruby coloured eyes stared up at me, intelligent, unblinking.

Instinctively, my Psychic shields began to raise themselves. However, if this Pokemon was the Type I believed it to be, then all Psychic attacks and techniques would be rendered useless against it.

Sashara's eyes widened as Penumbra's head whipped round and focussed on her. Far from the blank stare it had given me, its expression softened and it looked oddly...content.

'...Umbreon.'

Shadow.

A Dark-Type Pokemon.

My only physical weakness and this little one was the personification of that weakness.

Irony and all its many faces.

* * *

__

'...If a Trainer and their Pokemon have this kind of relationship, the Pokemon can evolve...'

Fighting back a wave of apprehension, I reflected silently on why she had chosen those exact words.

Despite Giovanni's laughingly named 'training programme', it was indisputable that had her training been completed, Sashara would have easily become a Pokemon Master; at the very least she would have been the heir of the Viridian Gym.

Being a Trainer was what she had been created for, yet until Penumbra's evolution, she had displayed little interest in either training or caring for Pokemon.

But now...my knuckles whitened as the furred skin was pulled tightly across the bones.

Was her knowledge finally surfacing now? Did she finally recall what her intended purpose was? Was she accepting the role in which she had been created for?

Was she...was she intending to leave Mount Caina?

Was she intending to leave...me?

My vision whited out as my aura flared in rage. Rage at Sashara for what she might do, rage at Penumbra for evolving through their friendship...rage at myself for being so weak and petty.

But most of all...rage at her creator. Rage at our former jailer.

Rage at Giovanni for being her father.

* * *

I had been in her life for over half a year. Giovanni had featured in her life for no more than a few weeks, and yet...

And yet he still held such power over her. The bastard didn't even remember her or acknowledge her as his own, and yet _he_ still held more of an influence in Sashara's past, present and future than _I_ did.

He had left a legacy of pure pain in his only child, and possessed neither the courage nor will to acknowledge that legacy.

Not for the first time, I desperately wished that I had seen through Giovanni's bluff and sent him to hell the moment I had met him.

* * *

I floated a few feet above the surface of the lake, my hatred receding, yet still burning through my blood like bile. Stupid, selfish, petty...

'Sometimes the most obvious cause of rage is the one we consider beneath ourselves to examine.'

The sound of her voice allowed my confusion to push itself to the front of my mind once more, now hand in hand with my rage. 'Care to enlighten me?'

'Jealousy.'

I span around in the air, ready to launch into a staunch denial of any such pathetic feelings until I saw her face.

Apprehension.

Surprise.

Affection.

Even amusement.

It took most of my willpower not to release my anger at that moment.

'Jealousy because of what?'

She tilted her head to the side, scrutinising me. 'You think it was just because of friendship that Penumbra evolved, correct?'

'Apparently so.'

Sashara floated closer to me. 'Wrong. There was friendship involved, but that wasn't the only cause.'

Her right hand rested against my chest, no doubt feeling my heart pounding at an impossible pace.

'Then what were these extra causes?'

'Cause, singular. For lack of a better word...a realisation.'

My breathing became shallow as I tried and failed to ignore her touch. Her proximity was making me feel oddly claustrophobic.

'Penumbra...it evolved because it was happy. When I said...'

She looked away, not out of embarrassment, but what appeared to be...fear.

I pulled her against me, my arms looping around her waist, my forehead resting against hers. 'When you said...what?'

Her eyes met mine, her fear quashed. 'When I said that I...'

I held my breath.

'...I love you.'

* * *

There was no mistaking the sheer emotion in her eyes.

She loved me.

* * *

Yes, I desired her.

Yes, I wanted her.

Yes, I needed her.

Yes, I loved her.

All of my inner musings blissfully ended as she kissed me, pulling me closer to her than I had ever thought possible.

My last logical act was to make sure we landed in a grassy area before she gave herself to me.

* * *

TBC


	14. Part 13

A/N: Apologies to everyone who's been hoping for an update for the past…ugh, year and a half. I'm horrible, I know.

* * *

**Sephy-chan99:** Intrigued; what's the Temple of Mewtwo forum? Mewtwo's character is gonna get a bit darker as the fic progresses, so just be patient!

**Zephyr Analea, Mewtwo's Amore:** Very cool name. How can you be dumbstruck at something like this?

**Q5:** Thank you!

**YunCyn:** I have just about all the Pokemon cartridges, and Eevee does evolve into Umbreon at night provided it has a strong bond of friendship with its trainer. Just worked on that idea. I don't do slushy stuff too often; just hoping it all works out!

**Darkiris:** Again, thank you!

**Cosmic Mewtwo:** And one year of writer's block later, I finally update. Profound and dramatic? Are we reading the same stuff? Penumbra's name was a bit of a giveaway!

**Miah the Storm Wolf:** The climax of the story isn't due to happen for a while yet, so you don't have to panic about not understanding all the crap I keep writing.

**Sonikkane:** Lemony…put it this way, it's the anime term for sex scenes. There's not gonna be anything graphic; I've tried to do this tastefully and probably failed. (Don't tell the censors, pleeeeeeeeease!!)

**Sierrakoi:** 'Dear Cell' got removed. Can I say grotesquely unfair?

**Izzy:** I'm not exactly a fan of sappy stuff myself. All the crap like 'can't live without you' and 'love you forever' are just waaaay too corny and crass for my liking.

**VMorticia:** Several months too late, but here goes. Had crap second year at uni, had a leg operation during the holidays, split up with my boyfriend, and had to move out of my flat. But that's all history, and I'm pretty chirpy at the mo.

**Nightdragon0:** Romance, angst and drama. Really?

* * *

Disclaimer: Own Sashara and Penumbra. Really wish I owned Mewtwo, but like everything else, he and the rest of the Pokemon franchise belong to Nintendo, 4Kids, and Satoshi Tajiri.

'My Last Breath' is taken from Evanescence's album 'Fallen'. Lyrics are in italics.

Read Frankenstein to get motivated. Said creation is the property of Mary Shelley.

Warning: This part has one sex scene in it, approved by majority vote, and it's what I would rate as closer to R than anything else. Nothing graphic and fairly short, but if you don't like, don't read. And don't say I didn't warn you.

Italics denote shifting POV.

* * *

**Forgotten: Part 13**

* * *

_"Shall each man', cried he, 'find a wife for his bosom, and each beast have his mate, and I be alone?"  
_The Monster, _Frankenstein_

* * *

Need.

Want.

Craving.

Humans have several names that they so lightly bestow on what they see as the most base and primal urge. An urge they believe they can kill.

Desire.

They refuse to acknowledge what drives desire, what drives their urges, their needs.

They are driven by nothing less than passion.

For months I had tried and failed to repress the surges of sheer emotion, and later desire, that Sashara's presence had evoked in me.

I had passed it off as a weakness, a feeling as unnatural as myself. A being such as myself should never feel the desire to mate, never to need the touch of another, never to feel true pleasure.

I had tried to kill my passion, as so many humans believe is possible.

But passion can never be killed.

It feeds and nourishes the smallest feelings. It gives life to dead emotions. It can strengthen and weaken with a touch.

It hurts, at times far more than we can bear. If we could live without passion, then maybe we would possess some form of inner peace.

But without passion, we would be nothing but hollow shells, empty rooms left dank and dark.

Without passion, we would truly be dead.

* * *

_**They had been warned well.**_

_**In the far reaches of the Orange Archipelago, the harmony of Fire, Ice and Lightening called to each other as they felt the surge of emotion.**_

_**In the depths of the ocean, the Water's Great Guardian shut its eyes and sang at the power it sensed.**_

_**The rainbow phoenix bathed in the fires of eternal life, urging the distant ones to feel the burning of their hearts.**_

_**The skies blazed, the heavens rumbled, and the earth burned as the Beasts ran, spurred on by the strength of passion.**_

_**The leaves whispered in the breeze as the Traveler flitted through the Ilex forest, trying to deny the pain it felt in its heart.**_

_**An elegant gold-ringed shadow faded into the caves of the mountain, not wanting to bear witness to the undoing of its two dearest friends.**_

_**A sparkling vapor trail streamed out from behind the ancestor of all Pokemon as it departed from Mount Caina, sparing only a glance at the two beings tangled in each other's arms as they lay in the grass.**_

_**It would begin and end tonight.**_

_**And then…it would be time to start once more.**_

* * *

_Hold onto me love_

* * *

There was no need for words now.

Anticipation and need were tightening the knot in the base of my stomach to a frightening degree as Sashara pressed her body flush against mine, her arms looping around my neck, pulling me down onto her...

* * *

_You know I can't stay long_

* * *

I didn't so much hear her sigh as feel her sigh. Her eyes were shut in what seemed to be pleasure.

Her hands rested against my chest, trembling slightly as they slid up and over my shoulders... slender fingers curling against my neck as she pulled my head down to hers, close enough to kiss.

I forced myself to breathe as her nails dragged against my fur, down my back…digging slowly into the base of my tail.

One hand pressed hard against my chest, pushing me up and away from her, the other working at first at the collar of her shirt, then at her belt buckle. With movement born of desire, I tugged and loosened her remaining clothing until she lay back against the grass, bare skin next to mine.

* * *

_All I wanted to say was I love you and I'm not afraid._

* * *

She was frightened, that much I could tell from her body alone. Every muscle was tensed and her eyes were clamped shut.

As if she was waiting for something...

No.

This would not do.

She was unconsciously associating physicality with pain.

And I had vowed that I would never hurt her in that way.

Need overrode uncertainty as I massaged the base of her neck and the small of her back, watching her face as her eyes opened, staring up at me, her gaze dark with fear and desire...

Her gaze alone was having a startling effect on both my body and the few areas of my mind still capable of rational thought.

But the scars along her shoulders and neck shocked me back to my senses.

* * *

_Can you hear me?_

* * *

I pulled back slightly as I traced a scar along her neck with a paw.

'Who…when…?'

She shivered and looked away.

'A…present…from the scientists…before I was frozen…'

The number of scars across her body that I would have to discover was a subject I didn't want to have to think about.

But now…there would be no more pain for her.

I pulled her against me, burying my face against her neck and kissing each scar, hearing her cry out at every touch.

Her nails started digging hard into my back, at one point so strongly that I could feel the skin tearing. They would leave superficial scratches at the most, none of which would hinder me in my current actions.

* * *

_Can you feel me in your arms?_

* * *

She was shivering again. Whether in fear or need, I couldn't tell.

But I knew that nothing would happen without her consent. And I would wait for that for as long as she needed.

Her arms tightened around my neck as she pulled herself against my chest, looping her legs over my hips. I tried not to gasp as I felt my body respond to her movements in a way that I had once believed I would never experience.

Dazedly, I met her gaze, almost praying that she would consent, if only to lift the feeling of sheer need building at the base of my stomach.

Her breath came in short gasps as she stared up at me.

And nodded.

* * *

_Holding my last breath_

* * *

I blinked to try and clear the haze that had settled in my mind.

She had consented.

But my inexperience…and my instinct warring with my intellect…

Sashara wound her body tighter against mine, pulling me down again. Instinct won as I braced myself against her and curled an arm around her shoulders, brushing a kiss across her forehead.

* * *

_Safe inside myself_

* * *

Then…pain.

Both for her and myself.

Nothing intolerable, but unnerving for a moment.

It passed quickly enough.

And instinct once again took control.

* * *

_Are all my thoughts of you?_

* * *

My memories of that time, even now, remain blurred.

But I remember her against me.

Her muscles tightening around me.

Her breathing growing ever more shallow.

Her voice pleading with me to move faster.

Her skin slick with sweat.

Her body arcing up against mine.

And finally, the feelings of need and desire and pleasure coiling in upon themselves and imploding, rolling through me…

* * *

_Sweet raptured life, it ends here tonight…_

* * *

I recall a burst of white light in my mind as I finally stopped moving, letting my body sink gratefully onto the grass…

And then blissful unconsciousness.

* * *

The heat of the sun on my back eventually forced me to wake up, my mind still foggy from the previous night, but more than willing to offer up a few…rather choice images.

I could feel the corners of my mouth curling upwards in a small, brief smile.

The knowledge of human and Pokemon mating rituals I had gleaned from the computers in the Viridian Gym had mentioned the physical pleasure I had experienced, but they had never made reference to any forms of emotions felt during mating.

Certainly, there had been physical pleasure for myself, and I hoped, for Sashara herself.

But the emotions…

I let out a breath I hadn't realised I was holding.

The closeness we were still learning how to share, the protectiveness and attraction I felt towards her, the comfort and pleasure I had experienced in her arms…

…The knowledge of being allowed to love, and love her completely…and yet not say it to her…

My eyes snapped open at that thought. She had gained the courage to say what she felt for me, and I…I had done something, but said nothing in return.

No.

This would not do.

I had to tell her, now. She had to know that I loved her…

I raised myself to my knees to wake her, to tell her…

The indentation of her body was marked in the grass.

Where…?

Her clothes were gone and she was nowhere to be seen.

I Teleported to the lake, my mind racing in panic.

Her pack and bedroll were missing.

I reached out mentally, trying to sense her life-force and that of Penumbra.

Nothing.

I tore out of the caverns and soared into the skies above Mount Caina, eyes frantically scanning the landscape for any sign of her or the Dark Pokemon who had appointed itself as her companion.

…To the west.

Two life-forms on foot, travelling towards New Bark Town.

The registration point for all Pokemon Trainers entering the Johto League.

Her original purpose. The purpose Giovanni had intended for her.

One in which I could never be with her.

* * *

Why now?

Why had her programming surfaced now, when I had finally discovered what love was?

Why had she left me?

Why did Giovanni take her away from me?

I threw my head back and howled.

* * *

_**On the outskirts of New Bark Town, a Pokemon Trainer watched the sun rise over the mountains, her eyes squinting against the orange light, ignoring the fear building in her stomach.**_

_**Her Pokemon, an Umbreon and a Cyndaquill, watched her silently; the latter out of curiosity, the former as a distraction from its own pain.**_

_**The Traveller had told Half-Shadow of what was to come, and that this would only be the beginning of one of the most painful journeys that a human or a Pokemon could ever face.**_

_**It didn't make it any easier for the Umbreon.**_

_**But the time had passed where it had had choice in the matter. What was done was done.**_

_**Now it was up to his Trainer to decide what to do.**_

* * *

_**She continued to watch as the sun rose over the mountains to the north, Penumbra and Cyndaquill sitting beside her in amiable silence.**_

_**Where he would be.**_

_**Safe in the depths of Mount Caina.**_

_**Perhaps he was waking up even now.**_

_**Maybe he would be alone.**_

_**Or maybe Mew would be with him, as she always seemed to be when he was in distress.**_

_**She closed her eyes, refusing to let her tears fall. **_

_**Would he know what she had done?**_

_**Would he understand?**_

_**She shook her head. These weren't the thoughts of a Trainer.**_

_**And that was what she was always meant to be.**_

_**Sashara Giovanni glanced down at the Trainer's Licence in her hands and turned away from the sunrise.**_

_**The Johto League called to her.**_

_**It was time to start again.**_

* * *

TBC


	15. Part 14

A/N: Very cheered by response to citrus! And I will try to update as much as I can, work at uni permitting. There will be more of Sashara's POV from now on rather than Mewtwo's – don't worry, it's all relevant!

* * *

**Spazz Cat**: Love the name! Er, for me? Work, yes. Dedication, hmmm. Talent…lots more talented folk than me out there writing better stuff than this. I'm just writing whatever my brain throws out at 2am. No, it's not the end for a while yet. Not a Halo fan myself, but I'll take a little look!

**Ryu Isaac**: One thing I can't write is mushy stuff – it's gotta be either funny or dark. Happy you like!

**Hotaru Aino**: Thanks for the support re. writer's block. I actually started out writing rather bad slash for about three years, so I understand where you're coming from! And please see Mewtwo Returns, it's brilliant!

**Shego2Drakken**: I like short word bursts. Can't write in them too well though. Ah well. Thank you!

**Sierrakoi**: Course I remember you! Hope you continue with your updates as well as checking in – your stuff kicks much ass!

**Noir Catty**: I think it's Mewtwo's voice that's difficult to nail down, considering so much of his character is in his method of speaking. Hate Mary-Sues with a vengeance, so I've tried to keep Sashara as realistic as possible. Very happy you like!

**Ice Angel2015**: You'll find out what's going on with Sashara soon. Had a little look at the Temple of Mewtwo…interesting place!

**Cosmic Mewtwo**: Considering I haven't got any more citrus planned for this, you can expect to find out what's going on pretty fast!

**Nightdragon0**: Not really, Mewtwo even states it himself that he can't go after her if she leaves. But life's never that straightforward.

* * *

Disclaimer: I own Sashara and Penumbra. Bit pitiful, but any characters that don't belong to me belong to Nintendo, 4 Kids, or Satoshi Tajiri.

Warning: Big fat angst doses and Pokemon x Pokemon/human hybrid relationship.

_Italics_ denote Pokemon speech

**_Italics_** denote shifting POV.

* * *

**Forgotten: Part 14**

* * *

Imagine the sensation of a lump in your throat, contracting with every breath and trapping air mercilessly in your lungs with every movement.

You make to tear the lump from your body, knowing before you even begin that it is a futile exercise. All that you can do, therefore, is remain still and try to prevent your hands from moving towards your throat.

The lump does not grow greater or smaller. It lies there, throbbing in time with the almost vice-like pain in your chest, which is tightening your heart and stopping the little air that passes beyond the lump.

This, combined with the sensation of light-headedness as you recall the memories, the heavy, almost crushing pain in your stomach as it contracts with emotion, and the sting in your eyes as you remember to blink after staring for hours at nothingness…

This is what heartbreak feels like.

And I had felt nothing but this for the better part of a month.

I had learned long ago that time cannot heal all ills. It distances the pain to something more bearable, but much like a scab over a healing wound, a moment in time can be revisited and the experience is born anew, more painful than the last.

I did not need to revisit the moment in which I lost her to feel the pain anew.

For if that moment was the wound, it had become infected with memories.

* * *

I did not have to visualise what was occurring on the surface of the mountain.

Hurricane winds tore across the peak of Mount Caina. The air currents would be stripping leaves from their parent trees and creating waves on the surface of the lake.

I barely registered the echoes of the wind through the tunnels as I stared at the spring. With the absence of…her, I would have been happier to stay out in the storm, and feel the wind scouring my skin until my body would be in more pain than my heart.

Mew, of course, believed otherwise.

She had found me on the morning that Sashara had departed, curled in a ball next to the spring. She then spent the better part of a fortnight convincing me to eat and rest, and another fortnight trying to convince me to communicate, never leaving me alone for more than a moment.

It had been disconcerting, but now I was almost glad of her presence.

My thoughts were fortunately interrupted by a branch floating before me, berries hanging off of the uppermost twigs.

_Eat up. You look dead on your feet._

I half-heartedly reached out and plucked a few berries off the branch, and blinked hard as I recalled the image of a young Eevee offering me food with almost identical concern to that of Mew…

…The night Sashara had revealed her heritage to me.

I shook my head and pushed away the memories. It would not do to become distracted now.

Except…

What would I be distracted from?

Anger?

Hate? Grief?

Loneliness?

Love?

* * *

'...Life is wonderful…'

The knot of pain in my chest tightened unbearably.

The last words of the only human I had ever loved.

Not now.

Not Ai…

The world tilted for a second as I leaned forward, forcing myself to breathe.

These memories could not be forced back. Not after I had spent so long undoing the scientists' misguided protection enforced upon me.

* * *

…My confusion as I first became conscious; frightened at the strange noises that the people outside my maturation chamber were making…

…A little girl speaking to me through telepathy, explaining about words and people, and introducing herself as Ai…

…She called me Mewtwo, and explained that I was a clone, as she was. I didn't realise it at the time, but her name meant 'love'…

…Charmandertwo, Squirtletwo and Bulbasaurtwo appearing next to my newfound companion and greeting me so warmly…

…Ai smiling as she led me and the other clones across the sky, the moon shining down on the city below us…

…Fear as Charmandertwo started to disappear, then Squirtletwo and Bulbasaurtwo followed…

…Grief as Ai began to disappear…

…Ai telling me as she died of the miracle of Pokemon tears, of their restorative powers…

…Feeling tears running down my face as she left me, as _they_ left me…alone…

Ai…

Sashara…

My aura was already starting to glow an unpleasant blackish-red shade.

_...Mewtwo?_

They had left me…

_...Mewtwo?!_

They had been forgotten, had forgotten me…

_...MEWTWO, no!!_

* * *

I blinked and ran a paw down my face, barely registering the sweat running into my eyes as I forced myself to power down and breathe.

The berries offered to me in kindly concern were crushed in one paw, their juices staining my fur a sickly red.

Mew's great blue eyes were wide in panic as she studied my face. _You were thinking of her again, weren't you?_

I didn't bother answering her, choosing to Psychically clean my fur of the berry juice instead.

She sighed. _This is the fourth time this has happened. Even you can't cope much longer._

I rose shakily to my feet, anger welling in the pit of my stomach. 'And you think you are that well versed in my emotional limits that you can judge me?'

The tiny Legendary didn't let her gaze leave mine for a second. _I fought against you and your emotions three years ago, and you told me yourself. You're just not…experienced enough for this, Mewtwo._

Biting back a diatribe of abuse and hurt I longed to throw at her, I turned abruptly and Teleported into the deepest caverns of Mount Caina.

* * *

Slumping onto a small stool beside the roughly designed table in the centre of the viewing chamber, I rubbed my temples in an effort to ward off the approaching migraine I could feel thumping at the back of my head.

It wasn't the first time I had forced myself to Teleport away from a discussion. I disliked the idea in theory, but Mew's constant attempts to find out exactly how badly Sashara's departure had affected me were unsettling to say the least.

I wanted her back.

She meant more to me than I was comfortable with admitting. What I had felt about her…seeing her as more than just a sparring partner, more than a confidante…even just to see her again…

Wait…

The crushing sensation in my stomach lost some of its weight as I stared at the blank viewscreen.

I had built the device as a security system, informing me of any critical events on Mount Caina and the surrounding areas. It had been deactivated since Giovanni's attempted takeover and after I had erased the collective memories of Team Rocket, I had seen no reason to either reactivate it or destroy it.

Until now.

Closing my eyes, I concentrated on the faint life signatures of both Sashara and her Dark companion. Simultaneously, the viewscreen flickered and reactivated, the blurry image tracking and reforming into a view of the outside world.

I opened my eyes and stared at the screen, hoping that my reprogramming had worked.

And there she was.

She was keeping a steady pace as she trekked through the Ilex Forest, Penumbra trotting beside her. The young Pokemon's coat was gleaming with health, its golden markings shimmering in the faint shards of light piercing through the forest canopy.

Sashara…looked well. No significant weight gain or loss, no signs of ill health.

Her eye were narrowed, her face focussed. On what, I couldn't tell.

I settled back on my stool, feeling the pain in my body and heart fade slightly as I continued to gaze at her.

_

* * *

_

**She had heard the cry from nearly a mile away. A Pokemon in pain, but what Pokemon, she was still unsure.**

_**The cry seemed to echo somewhere within her chest. Any creature in that kind of pain, even the pain she herself was in, would not survive for long.**_

_**Penumbra placed its nose to the ground once again and sniffed. The scent of pain and blood was growing stronger, perhaps a short distance from their current location…**_

_**'Miiiiiah…'**_

_**The Pokemon and the hybrid glanced at each other before they sprinted in the direction of the sound. A few meters off the main road through the Forest…somewhere to the left…**_

_**Penumbra had charged ahead, ready to alert its Trainer to any kind of danger posed.**_

_**'Here! It's here!'**_

_**Ducking through the undergrowth, she finally emerged into a small clearing. Blood was spattered over the leaves and fungi underfoot, the scent of copper almost nausea-inducing.**_

_**The Umbreon was standing over a black furred body curled painfully under a tree, gently prodding the Pokemon awake with one of its paws.**_

_**She knelt down and turned the body over, the smell of blood increasing with the movement. A patch of grey fur amidst the black made her double-take.**_

_**A pair of yellow eyes set in a black furred face stared up at her, a black mane flowing down over its head and body. Black paws covered in blood scratched at the ground as the Pokemon tried and failed to back away from her.**_

_**It bared its teeth and made a lunge for her arm. **_

_**'Stay back, human. Unless you feel like losing a limb?'**_

_**She frowned slightly. What was a Mightyena doing in Johto?**_

* * *

_**A small fire crackled in a pit as the trio settled on the outskirts of the Ilex Forest. Penumbra was standing guard as its Trainer methodically bandaged the Mightyena's injuries.**_

_**The heavily built Pokemon had continued to spit and snarl even as she had carried it through the Forest. She wasn't perturbed.**_

_**The Pokemon's behaviour reminded her somewhat of her own actions towards her rescuer after she had been freed. Before…**_

_**She shook her head. No time to get distracted.**_

_**She finished tying the last bandage around the Mightyena's back leg. 'Can you stand now?'**_

_**The Pokemon glared at her, but risked an attempt at standing. The pain in its back and legs had reduced enough to be tolerable, but it didn't alter the fact that a Human had saved its life.**_

_**A Human who could understand the Pokemon language, no less.**_

_**'Why did you save me?'**_

_**She cast another Ember on the fire and settled onto the grass. 'You were injured. I have an obligation as a Trainer to help any injured Pokemon.'**_

_**The Mightyena stared at her. 'My old Trainer would have left me to heal by myself.'**_

_**Something clicked in her head. 'You were abandoned?'**_

_**'Not that you need to know, but yes.'**_

_**A brief silence fell over the small group.**_

_**'You were forgotten?'**_

_**'My old Trainer thought I was too weak to battle properly, and too small to bear young. And after I broke my leg in a battle in Hoenn, he came back to his home in Johto and left me in the Forest to die.'**_

_**She sighed. Another female who had been abandoned by one who she thought had cared for her.**_

_**'How long ago?'**_

_**'A few days, maybe a week. I don't remember.'**_

_**Another silence fell. Penumbra settled next to its Trainer, pressing its black and gold body against Sashara's leg. She distractedly reached down and scratched its head. The Mightyena settled tentatively by the fire, feeling the warmth spread through her body.**_

_**'So…what will you do now?'**_

_**The Dark Pokemon stared into the flames. 'I cannot return to Hoenn, and there are no packs of Mightyena in Johto. Forage and try to survive, I suppose.'**_

_**'Or you can come with me.'**_

_**The black head snapped up. 'What?'**_

**_'Come with me, as _my _Pokemon.'_**

_**She snarled. 'You think I would risk joining with a Human again?'**_

_**The Trainer shook her head slightly. 'No. But what about joining with a human/Pokemon hybrid?'**_

_**The Mightyena looked baffled. 'A hybrid?'**_

_**'You're looking at one.'**_

_**She narrowed her eyes. 'You're…half Pokemon?'**_

_**'On my 'mother's' side.'**_

_**The Dark Pokemon sniffed cautiously at her.**_

_**There was nothing to prove what she said was true. But then again, there was nothing that disproved what she was saying, either.**_

_**Her scent didn't smell right for a start. And her understanding of the Pokemon language…**_

_**Perhaps it was time to risk trusting natural instincts one more time.**_

_**She nodded.**_

* * *

_**For the first time in a month, Half-Shadow felt almost happy. Not least because of his Trainer gaining a new companion, but also…the Mightyena.**_

_**Another Dark Pokemon as his own companion for the travels through Johto.**_

_**It also didn't hurt that she was rather attractive by Pokemon standards…**_

_**Sashara reached out a hand and stroked the black mane, still slightly matted with blood.**_

_**'Welcome…Perdita.'** _(1)

* * *

'Perdita…'

Sashara's penchant for Latin names knew no end. Presumably it was part of her schooling at the Viridian Gym. Certainly, her father was proficient enough in the ancient language.

I pressed a paw to the view-screen, tiny bolts of static electricity scattering across the glass surface.

Another Dark Pokemon…

Not just one of the most powerful elements, but the one type that could properly subdue a Psychic Pokemon, perhaps to the point of death.

This Mightyena was distrustful of humans.

Sashara, for all of her genetically enhanced powers, was primarily a Psychic type.

I didn't particularly want to think of the consequences of what could happen should Perdita ever turn on her new Trainer.

A glimmer of pink to my right brought me out of my musings.

_So she's in Ilex..._

I glanced up at Mew before returning to staring at the image of a now sleeping Sashara. 'Which means what?'

_She's earned her second Gym Badge by now._

I sighed. 'Not surprising. She was…engineered to be a Trainer, and a powerful one at that.'

_Powerful…and empathic._

At that I tore my gaze from the viewscreen entirely. 'Empathic? After the way she left?'

The little Legendary glared at me. _You've learnt how to be selfish, Mewtwo. It doesn't suit you._

A protest wormed its way pasted the lump in my throat, but died before it could be voiced. She was right. I was being selfish.

But after what she had done to me…I had every right to be selfish. She had hurt me more than any Attack ever could, abandoned me after I had revealed my true feelings to her…

So why was I staring at her like some kind of pathetic voyeur?

* * *

_**A bolt of pain lanced through her body as she suddenly woke up, one arm wrapped round her stomach as if trying to squeeze the feeling out of her.**_

_**She took a few deep breaths, willing her stomach to stay still. The last thing she needed at this point was to come down with any kind of sickness.**_

_**The nausea passed. Just.**_

_**She shook her head. This was the third time this had happened in a fortnight.**_

_**A tug on her belt loosened a PokeBall. 'Wooper, I choose you.'**_

_**The little Water Pokemon appeared in a flash of light. 'What do you need of me?'**_

_**Another bolt suddenly tore its way through her stomach. '…Water Gun…Just aim it at my face.'**_

_**The Wooper looked concerned, but did as its Trainer commanded.**_

_**A fountain of water drenched her completely, cooling her down and reducing the nausea. '…Thank you. Return.'**_

_**Another flash of light and the Water Pokemon disappeared.**_

_**She sighed and wrapped her arms around her body as she lay back down next to Penumbra, the lights of Goldenrod City just visible in the distance.**_

* * *

_**There was no point wondering if she was doing the right thing now. Trying to work out who she was…it still sounded trite and contrived even after a month.**_

_**She was meant to be a Trainer. It was what her…father…had planned for her. And to a certain extent, it felt right. Joining with other Pokemon and training them to reach their full potential; that was something she felt content with.**_

_**Leaving, yes. That was another thing she was certain of. Whatever she would have to do, it was better if…if he wasn't involved.**_

_**But other than that…she was in the dark.**_

_**Her instincts were telling her to travel on, and take vengeance on those who had created and destroyed her.**_

_**Her head was telling her to gain more strength, and to be a Trainer first, and let thoughts of revenge come second to her 'destiny'.**_

_**And her heart was telling her everything she already knew about…him. That she should go back and ask his forgiveness, beg for his trust again, and maybe be able to love him again.**_

_**Before she had been frozen, Zavros had told her that if she was ever so desperate that she was unable to rely on anyone else, she had to listen to the voice within.**_

_**What he had meant by that, she wasn't entirely sure. But it had seemed like semi-decent advice.**_

_**Closing her eyes, she quietly considered her options.**_

_**To go forward as a Trainer, to go forward in vengeance, or to go back in heartbreak…**_

_**The answer came to her in a heartbeat.**_

_**Her eyelids bunched tightly together as she stifled a sob.**_

_**Much as she was desperate to return to her cloned contemporary, there was still something she needed to do.**_

_**/Chop off the snake's head and its body dies./**_

_**The time would soon come when she would have to meet with the snake who had cast her out of his life.**_

_**And it would not be pleasant.**_

_**She would make sure it would never be pleasant.**_

* * *

TBC

(1) Apart from the 101 Dalmatians connection, Perdita is derived from the Latin verb _perditus_, meaning 'lost'.

I do actually have a soundtrack to this fic, mostly of the songs used in the fic and some which just work well with the plot or certain scenes. And just to be a pain, here it is:

Loving You Is A Dirty Job (But Somebody's Gotta Do It) – Bonnie Tyler  
Misty's Song – Yvette Laboy  
My Last Breath – Evanescence  
In The Air Tonight – Phil Collins  
The Voice Within – Christina Aguilera  
Northern Star – Melanie C  
To The Moon & Back – Savage Garden  
You'll Never Be Alone – Anastacia  
We Are One – Westlife  
Thank You For Loving Me – Bon Jovi

Feel free to ridicule my taste in music.


	16. Part 15

A/N: Ok, just because I've had quite a few reviews asking me this, I can confirm that Sashara is definitely NOT pregnant. There is something wrong, but…you'll just have to keep reading! Also, because of new policy regarding review responses, this will be the last chapter where they're included. Sorry guys!

* * *

**Miah The Storm Wolf**: Glad to see you back! And I like to think I'm not _that_ predictable.

**Ami Metallium**: Re. the latest offerings from 4Kids and Nintendo - after Pokemon Johto I felt the franchise had gone downhill, but anyways. Rather impressed you like this after two years!

**Mousewolf**: Very happy you decided to read this, and equally chuffed that you like! No, this is gonna be just the one story, not sure if I have the time or the energy for a sequel.

**New fan**: I know I'm horrible, but it just seemed way too obvious for her to be pregnant. As for the ending…c'mon, you really think I'm gonna give _anything_ away at this point?

**Anna**: Mewtwo's age is tricky to call, and since he's not too good with emotions and the like (remember the first movie?), he just goes with whatever mood is strongest. Citrus isn't everyone's thing so not to worry, but at least I warned people there would be a lime! I'm trying to tone down the ellipses as of now, but there will still be one or two. Thanks muchly for the constructive feedback and enjoy!

**Lin16**: This story will be going on for a good few chapters yet, so not to worry! And yes, that joke was _baaaad_.

**Predatordragonfreak**: More Mewtwo fans, yay! Very chuffed you like!

**Tyler B-Sotirios**: Many reviews there! I think the last chapter was easily the most angsty so far, no guarantee there won't be more angst in later chapters. Hardly call this fic outstanding or flawless, but very pleased you like this!

**Spirit of the Sky**: Updated. Ain't I nice?

**The Maine Coon Cat**: Quite a number of reviews there as well! Most of the songs in the soundtrack are the more obscure songs by popular artists, but I like to think the lyrics and melody work for the fic. And glad you're enjoying this!

**Shego2Drakken**: Regarding Sashara's symptoms, I can safely confirm that it's…none of those mentioned, but it _is_ something serious. And that's all I'm saying!

**Cosmic Mewtwo**: The opening sequence in the last chapter was both the easiest and the hardest bit to write, if that makes sense! Don't know about anyone else, but that's how heartbreak felt to me when I first experienced it. Not fun, but hell, great material for later life!

**WiseAbsol**: Mewtwo's only had to cope with heartbreak when Ai died, and even then he still had his memory partially erased. The angst dosage will be reduced a bit after the previous chapter, but there is still a big whack of nasty stuff to go…

**Nightdragon0**: Mewtwo is suffering, but not as much as Sashara is, in my opinion. She learned after her experiences in the Viridian Gym not to trust anyone, went against those lessons when she fell for Mewtwo, but thinks it might just be a matter of shutting herself off from the world again. And we know life's never that simple.

* * *

Disclaimer: I own Sashara, Penumbra, Perdita and that's it. Everything else is being borrowed from 4Kids, Nintendo and Satoshi Tajiri.

Warnings: Hmmm…angst dosage and some minor nastiness relating to Sashara's condition. I'm skipping over a lot of her Pokemon journey, mainly because I can't write it, and partly because it's irrelevant. And trust me; everything will make sense in the end!

_Italics_ denote Pokemon speech

_**Italics**_ denote shifting POV.

* * *

**Forgotten: Part 15**

* * *

One month had passed since the activation of the viewscreen.

Two months had passed since her departure.

And still she showed no outward signs of missing me.

I realised that after a time, the loss of Sashara would grow less painful. Perhaps it would have simply become a memory, sadness tinged with pleasure.

But after I had activated the viewscreen, after I had seen her trekking through Ilex and Goldenrod City, watching her catch and train the newest additions to her team of Pokemon…

I was now uncertain if I should still be hurt and heartbroken at her abandonment of me, or, now that I had seen her capabilities as a Trainer, if I should be proud of her.

I wanted to let go of her.

Maybe I needed to let go of her.

But the mind and the heart do not always see what the other needs or desires.

* * *

Spinarak. Abra. Gastly. Growlithe. Xatu. Girafarig. Poliwhirl. Magnamite. Meowth.  
Marill. Misdreavus. Staryu. Tentacruel. Seel. Horsea. Zubat. Geodude. Gyarados.  
Flaaffy. Venonat. Stantler. Hitmontop. Heracross. Slugma. Ursaring. Swinub.

Two months of her journey had added these Pokemon, among several others, to her arsenal. Sashara had clearly been carefully instructed in the talents of a Trainer.

Her current seven badges had been well earned.

The irony of her 'captures' had not escaped me however. All of the Pokemon she had encountered had been abandoned, injured or ejected from their pack. In the cases of those wounded, she had patched up their injuries and made them all the same offer as she had made to Perdita, who even now was making a steady recovery under her care.

With Mew hovering somewhere behind me, I silently watched the image of Penumbra trotting beside his Trainer, regularly turning around to give encouragement to Perdita, who was limping at an impressive speed behind him.

I felt a shadow of a smile cross my face as the Umbreon stopped and waited for the injured Mightyena to catch up, giving her a quick lick on her cheek as she paused to catch her breath.

The gesture, it seemed, was a welcome one for the other Pokemon. She briefly nuzzled his face, then proceeded to limp ahead towards Sashara, quietly standing a short distance away, an unreadable expression on her face.

My heart still made an unpredictable jump whenever I looked at her. It was somehow easier to risk short glances at her and to try not to think.

Her expression wavered for a second as she watched the two Dark Pokemon contentedly walking together. Her eyes narrowed, then closed as she shook her head, as if she was trying to ignore something.

Maybe her head.

Maybe her heart.

I could romanticise if I wanted, but my own internal logic dictated that it was something else.

But if she was thinking of me, even for such a brief time, I would not complain.

* * *

_**The Ancestor of all Pokemon floated quietly towards the back of the cave at the first shimmer of light. Too much time had passed to justify the lack of an update.**_

_**She tried not to giggle. The Traveller running out of time…now there was a thought.**_

_**He had not noticed her retreat, instead choosing to devote his time to studying his erstwhile companion's travels on the viewscreen.**_

_**Her heart silently went out to him. She didn't have to use her abilities to sense the emotional turmoil hidden just under the surface of his psyche. He missed her, he loved her, and yet he still believed he could not go out to her or help her.**_

_**Her mood lightened. How much that would change when the Traveller's tales of the future came true!**_

**'_Mew…'_**

_**She flew discreetly out of the cave and into the narrow passageway outside. A pair of wide turquoise eyes shone in the dim light as the Traveller came into view, his translucent wings flapping so hard that they appeared to blur.**_

_**Her own eyes shimmered in relief and happiness as she reached out for the Grass/Psychic Pokemon and snuggled into his arms. 'Missed you.'**_

_**Celebi allowed himself to forget his mission for a brief moment as he held his companion close and sighed. 'And I you.'**_

_**Mew reluctantly parted from her mate and floated in front of him, all smiles and giggles gone at the look on his face.**_

**'_What? What's wrong?'_**

_**The turquoise eyes that she loved were clouded with fear.**_

**'_It's started.'_**

_**The Ancestor felt her heart freeze. 'No.'**_

**'_I've seen it. I've felt it. I know it. It's started.'_**

**'_But it can't. It's too soon. She's not even returned to New Bark Town.'_**

**'_Believe me, Mew, I know that. But circumstances here have dictated the future's course in a manner which I had never anticipated.'_**

_**She tried to control her breathing. 'Then…what can we do?'**_

**'_She must complete the travels in Johto, then onto Kanto and Viridian City as soon as possible.'_**

**'_But what of the risks? Will haste not worsen it?'_**

**'_Better to risk it than to not let it happen at all. You know of what the future will be like if their creator remains active.'_**

_**The tiny Legendary twitched her tail back and forth as she thought through the information she now possessed. Celebi fluttered in the air, gently buffeted about by the air currents.**_

_**She closed her eyes as she made her decision. 'Inform the Dogs of what you know, and tell them to leave the Tower immediately. I will inform the rest of the Guardians and order them to stand by.'**_

**'_All of the Guardians? Even the Twins and the Titans?'_**

_**She stared at him with a look he recognised immediately.**_

**'_All of them.'_**

* * *

I silently ignored Mew's retreat towards the back of the cave. Whatever the tiny pink Legendary was up to, I would wait to hear about it.

One glance at the screen showed me the image of Sashara, the bodies of Penumbra and Perdita cuddled into her side. She would be safe for the moment.

I deactivated the viewscreen and picked up a pawful of berries from the table, left by my self-appointed caretaker. Food at the moment was a decent distraction from my situation; at the very least, it made Mew stop worrying about me.

A rare burst of mirth tugged one corner of my mouth into a small smile. That little feline Pokemon could be something of a mother hen, given the right opportunity. It had always made me curious as to why she had not produced offspring – she would make a most impressive parent.

Then again, if I continued to dwell in my more unsavoury emotions, she would never need to be a parent. Not if she had me to look after.

With that thought lodged in my mind, I reached for another pawful of berries. If there was anything that would make Mew less paranoid about my welfare, surely the renewed capability to look after myself would be one of those preferred traits.

* * *

Or perhaps not, if the expression on her face as she entered the cave was any indication of her thoughts.

I raised an eyebrow as she floated in the entrance, staring into the middle-distance.

'Dare I ask?'

She glanced up at the sound of my voice, but her eyes did not focus.

I was instantly alert. Mew was not a Pokemon to whom darker thoughts were a normal occurrence. Something had happened, something she had not been aware of…

The viewscreen flickered on, instantly displaying the image of Sashara and her travelling companions outside the mouth of the Ice Caves in the north of Johto. Penumbra and Perdita were curled into a fur-covered heap, noses touching as they slept.

Sashara…

A cold lump settled in my stomach.

She was twitching, rolling from side to side with her arms wrapped around her stomach. A thin sheen of sweat covered her skin, no longer tanned but a sickly pale green.

Her eyes snapped open as she rolled onto her stomach and clamped a hand across her mouth. Shaking, she managed to stand and bolted for a thicket of bushes before she collapsed onto her knees.

* * *

_**Her back arched as she retched.**_

_**The bouts of sickness showed no signs of ending. If anything, they were now becoming alarmingly frequent.**_

_**But the vomiting was a new development.**_

_**She wiped her mouth with the back of her hand and tried not to fall forwards from the dizziness the act had provoked.**_

_**The noise had not gone unnoticed by her Dark companion, who unwound himself from his mate's body and silently ran towards his Trainer.**_

**'_What's wrong?'_**

_**She closed her eyes and shook her head. 'It's nothing. Just something I ate.'**_

_**Penumbra stubbornly shook his head. 'You eat the same foods as we do, none of us are ill. So what's wrong?'**_

_**She forced herself to take a deep breath, trying to quell the nausea. 'Probably a touch of PokeRus then.'**_

**'_PokeRus never affects Pokemon as badly as that, and humans can't contract it.'_**

_**Her frustration took over. 'Unless you've forgotten, I'm a hybrid. Who knows how it would affect me? And who asked you anyway?'**_

_**She was spared the look on the Umbreon's face as she fell forward into the bushes and retched again.**_

_**Panic rose in his throat. This was wrong. She had never been ill, at least not visibly. And now this…**_

_**She fell backwards against a tree as the bout finished, the nausea disappearing as she collapsed. Taking a few deep breaths, she gazed exhaustedly at the Pokemon staring at her with concern in his amber eyes.**_

**'_I'll be fine. Nothing I can't cope with.'_**

_**Taking one last worried look at his Trainer, Penumbra wandered away and settled back down next to his mate. Amber eyes closed as he reflected on this new turn of events.**_

* * *

_**He was asleep.**_

_**Finally.**_

_**She sat up cautiously, praying wordlessly that the nausea had gone for the night.**_

_**Nothing.**_

_**She sighed and tucked her legs up against her stomach, the action disturbing a few torn stomach muscles.**_

_**And the itch.**_

_**She closed her eyes and summoned her knapsack telekinetically. Dragging the first aid kit out, she silently loosened her arm gauntlets and pulled back her shirt sleeves.**_

_**The bandages had come undone again. Nothing too drastic, but better to wrap everything up than risk one of the Pokemon seeing the gauze and commenting on it.**_

_**Besides, it was a simple skin infection, nothing to be too concerned about.**_

_**The smell of antiseptic and infected tissue grew worse as the bandages were unwrapped. The itch at least lessened in the cool air emerging from the Ice Caves.**_

_**She winced slightly as the last bandage came free and she was able to examine the extent of the infection.**_

_**Both forearms were covered in yellowish sores, the flesh underneath bubbling and discoloured a vicious purple and green. No matter what treatments she had tried, the skin refused to heal, blistering and leaking pus.**_

_**The urge to scratch at the sores until she drew blood was tempting.**_

_**She slapped a handful of antiseptic ointment onto the worst of the sores and dressed them as fast as she could, wiping her hands on the last of the sterile tissues she had brought with her.**_

**_Few medical supplies left in the kit, low on treatments for the Pokemon, and running out of food. Time to steal some more supplies after she travelled through the Ice Caves. No reason to stop _that _particular little habit._**

_**At least it would be cool in the Caves. Stop the itching, stop the nausea for a while…**_

_**She winced again as she tugged her shirt up and shifted her trousers down to examine her belly. Bruised to a disturbing black-red from chest to groin, even touching the skin caused her pain.**_

_**At least it had healed over. But the blotches appearing on her thighs…**_

_**Dragging a bottle of Full Restore from her knapsack, she downed the contents in a gulp and relaxed, the sharpest pains dulling to an irritating throb.**_

_**Whatever this thing was, it would not stop her from completing her journey, or from fulfilling her… obligations in Kanto. As long as she could still walk, she would continue.**_

* * *

_**Straightening her clothes, she shuffled across to her sleeping mat and lay down next to her two Dark companions, already wound tightly together even in sleep. She kept a silent vigil over them as she relaxed and pulled her blanket over her body.**_

_**Perdita had recovered within a few weeks of their first encounter, albeit with a small permanent limp. It certainly hadn't stopped the Pokemon from battling, and she was more than capable of proving a formidable opponent. Still a rather snappy temperament, and she still refused all help unless completely necessary.**_

_**A small smile crawled across her face. In spite of what she had been informed of by the Mightyena, it seemed as though Perdita was more than content to accept help and affection from one Pokemon in particular.**_

_**And another reason to hasten her journey. If what she had come to suspect over the past couple of weeks was true, then the main threat to them and their own, the same threat to her, should be eliminated as soon as possible.**_

_**Her eyes snapped shut as the clamping sensation tightened around her temples. Not much farther to go before her journey's end.**_

_**But the reek of ammonia wasn't helping matters…**_

* * *

I watched unblinkingly as her expression changed from some form of contentment to pain. A pressure headache from the way her head was tucked into her body.

But the retching, those lesions, the marks on her arms and stomach…

Nothing in nature could have caused those wounds.

I should have kept the screen active more often, I should have seen what she was hiding, I should never have let her leave, I should have paid more attention to her…

A tiny whimper echoed in the cave. Mew was still staring at the screen.

_It's worse than I thought…_

My head snapped round at the words. I could feel my eyes widening. '_What_ is worse than you thought?'

She glanced at me, then back at the screen.

My paws tightened into fists. I reached into the air and grabbed the tiny Legendary by the tail, dragging her down to my eye-line.

'Tell me _now_ Mew. **_What is worse than you thought?_**'

Her gaze was still focussed on the screen as the tension suddenly drained out of her body. Relief joined the emotions that had already gathered in her eyes.

I craned my neck in order to stare at the image on the viewscreen.

* * *

_**Three familiar forms had surrounded Sashara and her Pokemon, as they had done so many months ago.**_

_**Raikou was keeping watch over the entrance to the Ice Caves, his forked tail twitching back and forth in ingrained paranoia. Suicune was gently prodding Penumbra and Perdita awake, shooting concerned looks at the nearly unconscious body curled next to them.**_

_**A giant paw hid the Trainer's face as Entei turned her body to face him, worry etched into his crested face.**_

_**He glanced at his Water companion as she finished rousing the girl's Dark guardians.**_

**'_The Traveller did not exaggerate what he told us.'_**

_**Suicune rested a paw on the girl's forehead and closed her eyes. 'Have you ever known Celebi to exaggerate anything?'**_

**'_No.' The comment came from the Umbreon slumped on the ground next to his Trainer. He stared up at the Dogs with fear in his eyes once more._**

**'_But he never mentioned any of this to me.'_**

_**The Dog of Thunder glanced over his shoulder. 'Possibly because he though you'd be more useful helping out than doing the doom-laden prediction and worry thing?'**_

_**Suicune's head snapped up, a glare marring her elegant features. 'That was un-called for.'**_

_**A shrug was his only reply as he returned to his observation position.**_

_**A frustrated growl caught the Dog's attention. Perdita was dragging her Trainer's knapsack across to the group.**_

_**She halted before Entei and stared up at him. Her pointed face was alert.**_

**'_Whatever is in here, would it help her as it has helped the rest of us Pokemon?'_**

_**The great Dog of Fire shook his head as he settled his body next to Sashara. The pain on her face faded as her eyes slowly opened.**_

**'_Nothing but the completion of her 'mission' will do anything to--'_**

_**He paused as the Trainer gazed at him for a few seconds. Wordlessly, she removed her knapsack from Perdita's jaws, granting the Dark Pokemon a gentle touch on the head as she did, before packing up her bedroll and blanket and stowing them away.**_

_**She used Entei's shoulders for support as she stood, grabbing two PokeBalls from her belt and recalling Penumbra and Perdita before they could protest.**_

**'_You're here to take me back, aren't you?'_**

_**Her voice was resigned.**_

**'_You don't think I'm capable of it.'_**

**_Suicune smiled gently. 'Oh no. You _are _capable of it. But in your…condition, we feel you needed a little friendly assistance to take you safely to New Bark Town.'_**

_**She raised a weary eyebrow and shook her head. 'Only after I pass through Blackthorn City. I entered the Johto League, and I will finish collecting the Badges, if nothing else.'**_

_**Her hand twitched under her gauntlet. 'After Blackthorn…I do what needs to be done.'**_

**'_Then the least we can do is give you an escort through the Caves.' The Dog of Fire gestured towards his back with his shaggy head, indicating that she should get comfortable._**

_**She sighed and settled onto his back, holding tightly onto his mane. 'Any time I see a Pokemon I should capture, we stop. That's my only condition.'**_

_**Unseen to the rest of the group, Raikou rolled his eyes. Once a Trainer, always a Trainer.**_

**_As long as she didn't try to capture _him_, they would have no gripe. But the human side of her might not be persuaded otherwise._**

**'_Ready?'_**

_**Entei and Suicune stood and crouched low to the ground. Sashara tensed, bracing herself for the journey.**_

_**The Dogs and their companion tore across the forest path and into the mouth of the Ice Caves, the frigid air instantly swirling around them and swallowing them up.**_

* * *

I risked turning away from the monitor and glared at Mew, who at that moment was hovering next to my head in complete silence.

'Explain. _Now_.'

She turned to scrutinize my face, then glanced briefly at the monitor and stared straight into my eyes.

_You won't like it._

I gritted my teeth in a snarl. '_Do I **look** as if I will like whatever **it** is?_'

She said nothing for a time. I continued to glare at her.

Mew shook her head, pressed a petite paw against my cheek, and closed her eyes.

_Didn't you ever wonder why Sashara has trained all of her Pokemon with at least one Dark Attack? Why she keeps a Fire-type, a Dark-type and a Rock-type Pokemon with her at all times?_

Mew's questions caught me off-guard. I felt my expression slide into one of confusion.

'Because…because she--'

_Because she is of the Mew bloodline, and thus is a Psychic-type by default. And if you were a Trainer and you needed to fight a Psychic Pokemon, what types of Pokemon would you choose, which are either completely invulnerable or highly resistant to Psychic Attacks?_

I felt the cold weight in my stomach gain a few pounds.

'…Dark and Rock-types. The primary types that she could not defend herself against…if they should ever attack her.'

Mew's paw quivered against my cheek. _No. They would not attack her randomly; they are all too loyal for that…but say if her Psychic abilities ever went out of control; if they were ordered to attack her…_

I wrenched her paw away from me and stared at her, aghast.

'She intends for them to attack her if she loses control?'

The tiny Legendary's eyes did not meet mine. _No. She intends for them to attack her **when** she loses control._

* * *

_When_…

_When_ she loses control…

The world started to tilt at an insane angle as I collapsed on the floor of the cave. My face and skin felt tight, overheated almost as I managed to take in what she was telling me.

Mew stared at me, her bright turquoise eyes shimmering with tears.

_What you've seen…is only the beginning of her real loss of control._

A rushing sound began to build in my ears.

_It was there within her from the start._

* * *

What was within Sashara from the start was still displayed on the viewscreen.

A small pool of acid under a mass of shrubbery.

But no stomach acid could burn holes through plant tissue. Only one chemical I knew of could produce that effect.

Ammonia.

* * *

TBC


	17. Part 16

A/N: It's fun when you can completely throw people off the scent of a story. So far, no-one's guessed what's happening to Sashara, but it's definitely not good. And that's all I'm saying!

* * *

Disclaimer: Sashara, Penumbra and Perdita are mine. All else is Nintendo's.

Warning: General darkness and angst, and an increasing amount of gore. If you have a less than superb constitution, you have been warned.

_Italics_ denote Pokemon speech

**_Italics_** denote shifting POV

* * *

**Forgotten: Part 16**

* * *

The heavy ball of fear in my stomach grew larger with every moment that I studied Sashara's progress on the viewscreen.

One day had passed since I had first witnessed that little pool of acid under the mess of shrubbery outside the Ice Caves.

Twelve hours had passed since I had reactivated the viewscreen after commencing my studies on the particular acid that I had detected.

Ammonia. A common chemical agent used in agriculture, explosives, and in domestic and industrial cooling processes.

Including cryogenic storage.

It was possible that she could have been tainted with the chemical while she was still in storage in the Cerulean Caves.

Possible, but highly unlikely.

She would have displayed symptoms of contamination long before now, and I had seen no signs of poisoning in the time she had spent here, no chemical burns or blisters on her skin when she lay in my arms.

No, this was…this was recent. This was new.

This was disturbing.

There was no feasible method by which ammonia could have been introduced into her body from external sources. Injection or direct inhalation would have killed her almost instantly, and the smell of the chemical itself was foul enough to detect from most other scents, which eliminated absorption by food.

This was a mystery I was committed to solving.

And a horror from which I was desperate to save her.

* * *

I felt a small tic twitch under my right eye as I watched her cling to Entei's shoulder, coughing and retching bile, the shudders wreaking her petite frame.

She had succeeded in passing through the Ice Caves with the aid of the Beasts, her progress hastened by the fortunate lack of wild Pokemon, bar a Jynx caught in a surprise attack, to seize her attention. In the distance, the rooftops of Blackthorn City could be seen, the waters of the nearby lake shimmering in the morning sunlight.

The Dog of Water was watching her silently, concern in her red eyes. Suicune's ability to mother all manner of strays and oddities reminded me somewhat of Mew, now thankfully absent for the past few hours.

I studied the screen without blinking as the Dog used her own body to lift Sashara up onto her knees as she finished her bout of sickness. Sashara's only movement was to reach exhaustedly into her knapsack and pull out a flask, up-ending most of the contents over her head and drinking the remains.

A tap from Suicune's paw and the flask filled immediately with fresh water. A few sips were soon followed by longer gulps as the contents went down and stayed down.

I let out a sigh of relief as I saw some colour return to her cheeks, but she was still far paler than I would have preferred.

And knowing her as I did, she was not about to admit her true physical condition and take a rest.

Not when her final Gym Badge lay before her.

* * *

_**She had the feeling Suicune knew exactly what the contents of that flask contained. **_

_**Water laced with Full Restore, Berry Juice, Poison Heal and a number of Pokemon vitamins. The only way in which she could get any kind of nutrition into her body after it had been made agonizingly clear to her that food was no longer an option.**_

_**She shivered and leaned against Entei's shoulder, feeling the Dog's inner fire spreading through her back as the lights of Blackthorn City shimmered and danced before her eyes.**_

_**One more time.**_

_**One more time, one more act, one final badge, and her obligations would be complete.**_

_**Then onwards to Kanto, to complete her intended mission.**_

_**After that…**_

_**She held no vague hopes of finding a cure for the disease that was draining and ravaging her body.**_

_**Whatever it was, it was something of a blessing as well as a curse.**_

_**Nothing to lose, but nothing to live for.**_

_**No disappointment, but no hope.**_

_**Except…**_

_**She shut her eyes and felt her stomach churn and settle.**_

_**Maybe for him.**_

_**The one who she stood to lose, but the one whom she had never gained to begin with.**_

_**He deserved better than a bastardised hybrid in a body that was turning on itself.**_

* * *

_**The Dog of Water watched with unblinking red eyes, filled with distress.**_

_**Sashara was failing, or rather, her body was failing, faster than any of them had believed possible. She had immediately sensed what was in the flask and had felt her heart sink in that moment.**_

_**She was not going to last at the pace she had set for herself, and yet nothing less than her own strength would take her forward.**_

_**But for that, she would need help. **_

_**The obvious answer would have been to send Entei or Raikou as part of her team in the final Gym battle. But too many questions would be raised, and the Dogs of Fire and Lightning, while normally both as gentle as a Chansey, were born fighters to the point of lethality. Even the Gym Leader Clair's Dragon team would struggle against one of the Legendaries.**_

_**No, this was the time to be cautious.**_

_**Some of the more ancient Pokemon water tricks…they would do enough to disguise her true condition for the duration of her battle.**_

_**She placed her paw against Sashara's hand and concentrated, trying not to show her nausea as she felt the toxins flowing through the girl's system where healthy blood should have been.**_

_**There was little that could be done to reverse the effects of the disease, but at least something could be done to halt the spread at least temporarily.**_

_**The glamour spread from the Water Pokemon's body to the hybrid, the old magic shimmering as it enveloped her. The bruises and blotches faded, even some of her lost weight reappeared.**_

_**But nothing could hide or remove the pain and exhaustion in her eyes. Only shadows could do that.**_

_**Including the shadow she missed so deeply.**_

* * *

Mirage.

An age old Water-type move, normally used by Pokemon attempting to evade capture by humans.

The irony of the situation was not lost on me.

But there was no time for debating the particulars now. This trick needed to stay in place long enough for Sashara to obtain her final Badge. After that, I had little to no idea what she was preparing to do next.

I could only hope her plans would include returning to Mount Caina, to me.

But the little flicker of sentimental thought was quashed by the cold hard water of reality.

She did not want me when she was healthy.

Why would she desire me when she was ailing?

* * *

Mew floated silently by my shoulder as we both stared in ever-increasing anxiety at the image on the viewscreen.

The Mirage was holding; Sashara appeared to be in good shape, the darkness in her eyes replaced albeit temporarily with determination. Beside her, Penumbra stood on guard, its coat gleaming with health as it watched the Dragon Leader Clair descend to the battle arena.

'Seven Badges…you've done well, girl.'

Sashara barely nodded. 'Thank you.'

'But now it all comes down to this. Can you face me and my Dragon team, and survive to tell about it?'

I refrained from rolling my eyes. This pathetic forced banter between Gym Leaders and Trainers only served to make me deeply contemptuous of the entire League.

Apparently, Sashara felt the same way. 'Can the chat, and let's do this already.'

The white-haired Gym Leader's expression cooled by a few degrees at this statement.

'So be it. I'll beat some courtesy into you while I'm at it.'

Two PokeBalls exploded into the centre of the arena.

First match – Swinub versus Dragonair.

* * *

Fifteen minutes had passed.

The combined attack force of Swinub and Jynx had dealt with two of Clair's three Dragonairs in the first two battles. The third Dragonair however, had managed to take out both of the more powerful Ice-Psychic Pokemon with several well-placed Thunderbolts, and showed no signs of fatigue.

Sashara displayed no anger as she reached towards her belt for her third Pokemon of the match.

'Gyarados, I choose you!'

The Water-Flying serpent roared as it emerged, tail flailing as it sought its balance and its back arching elegantly as it loomed over Dragonair.

A calculated risk. Gyarados was one of a number of Pokemon that was capable of learning Dragon-type attacks, but with that Thunderbolt attack…this would not be an easy battle.

Clair showed no signs of halting her actions. 'Dragonair, Thunder Wave!'

The Electric attack wrapped around Gyarados' body, crippling its limbs in Paralysis.

Sashara ignored the handicap. 'Bite. Now.'

Dragonair roared as the serpent's teeth found their mark.

'Counter with Surf!'

The Water attack did little, if any damage.

'Twister.'

Another, louder roar echoed across the Gym as the serpent reared and summoned the Dragon-type energy for the attack. Dragonair winced as the blades of air tore into its body, but did not fall.

'Dragonbreath!'

* * *

_**The blue tinted flames surrounded Gyarados, and burned without mercy. The serpent was losing health too fast to be recovered, and she knew this.**_

_**The only chance now was her sacrifice move. Before the paralysis could do any further damage to the Water Pokemon.**_

_**'Gyarados.'**_

_**The serpent looked back at its Trainer, now crippled with pain.**_

_**'Hyper Beam.'**_

_**It knew what to do.**_

_**A ray of neon orange energy burst from its mouth and hit the Dragon Pokemon full-blast. Only some of the most powerful and stubborn Pokemon could still battle after an attack of that magnitude.**_

_**Dragonair's eyes darkened and closed as it collapsed backwards in a dead faint.**_

_**Another rival Pokemon down.**_

_**Another flash of white light lit up the Gym like a beacon as Clair's final Pokemon appeared.**_

_**It caught only a glimpse of the seahorse Pokemon before it received a full-power Hyper Beam in kind.**_

_**She winced as the serpent hit the ground, the tremors jarring her limbs and stomach. Time to do what was needed. It would not be pleasant, but her seven previous Badges had not been earned through munificence in combat.**_

_**'Penumbra.'**_

_**The fox-like Dark Pokemon bounded into the arena, golden eyes narrowed in concentration.**_

_**'Bite.'**_

_**Penumbra darted across the ground, evading a pre-emptive Smokescreen and sinking its teeth into the Water Dragon's tail. The Kingdra flinched in pain.**_

_**She pressed her advantage. 'Confuse Ray.'**_

_**Clair snarled in anger. 'Kingdra! Shake it off and use Hyper Beam!'**_

_**Too little, too late.**_

_**The purple Ghost energy swirled around the giant seahorse, its eyes growing unfocussed as its mind clouded with Confusion.**_

_**It lashed out, catching itself across the face with the half-gathered Hyper Beam energy.**_

_**Penumbra stood patiently as Sashara reached into her pocket and dragged out a Full Restore. 'I choose to restore Jynx.'**_

_**Clair's eyes widened as she dug through her own pockets. 'Kingdra! Bitter Berry!'**_

_**The Confusion lifted and the seahorse growled at the Umbreon, still unfazed.**_

_**'Hyper Beam!'**_

_**'Evade.'**_

_**It did nothing as the Dark Pokemon was hit with a full-force Hyper Beam. It staggered but remained resolutely standing, now snarling in pain.**_

_**Beside Sashara, Perdita watched her mate with concern.**_

_**'Penumbra, return. Go Jynx.'**_

_**The Dark Pokemon limped back, its head held high as a red flash of light lit up the arena. Jynx twirled as it appeared, its injuries now fully healed.**_

_**The pain in Sashara's eyes faded for a few seconds, replaced with triumph. 'Ice Punch.'**_

_**Kingdra's scream of pain was cut short as it collapsed onto the arena floor, its armour covered in chunks of ice and sores.**_

_**Victory to the challenger, Sashara Giovanni.**_

* * *

_**'You did well, and I'm happy to say that.' The anger in the Dragon Trainer's had vanished at the battle's conclusion.**_

_**She smiled and raised a closed hand to Sashara's face. 'I present you with the Rising Badge. All Pokemon, regardless of their level, will now obey you. Use that power well.'**_

_**The final badge of the Johto League dropped into Sashara's palm. She stared down at it for only a second before her fingers closed around it.**_

_**It was done.**_

_**All the badges of the Johto League were now in her possession. This part of her Journey was complete.**_

_**She nodded politely at the Gym Leader as she led Penumbra and Perdita out of the Blackthorn Gym, their heads held high with pride and trying their best to ignore the shaking of their Trainer's hands as she walked.**_

_**The sunlight overhead blinded them for a few seconds as they emerged.**_

_**More than enough time for Sashara to stagger into the alleyway next to the Gym and collapse behind a stack of crates, her hand clamped over her mouth…**_

* * *

I felt my heart begin to race as I stared at her worn-out frame, sprawled on all fours and retching onto the concrete.

The Mirage flickered and finally evaporated, allowing the two Dark Pokemon, Mew and myself to see the true extent of the damage to her form.

The red-black blotches had spread from her torso up to the base of her neck, some patches scraped red raw from her clothing. Her entire frame was far slimmer than it should have been; her rib-cage protruded clearly from her back and sides. Her limbs were shaking from what could have been either an adrenaline rush or sheer exhaustion.

She displayed enough presence of mind to turn her face away from the puddle of vomit before she collapsed onto her side, her ribs heaving from the effort.

Her teeth were gritted in pain as Penumbra nuzzled her face and tentatively licked her cheek, his golden eyes wide with panic.

Perdita was busy keeping watch at the entrance to the alleyway, glancing over her dark-furred shoulder every few seconds at her Trainer.

This was too much.

Too, too much.

I caught sight of Suicune approaching from the opposite end of the alley and turned away from the screen, my eyes burning in pain.

A small pink paw rested against my shoulder as I covered my face with my paws. Mew curled her body around my shoulders and rested her forehead against my cheek as I began to shake with nervous fear.

She was too young to be suffering like this.

She should be at a Pokemon Centre, at a human hospital, _anywhere_ but that alley with no-one but a few Pokemon to tend to her.

She should be back here, with me.

I could look after her, tend to her while I attempted to find some clue, some hint about the disease which was destroying her body from within.

Within…

My head snapped up, dislodging Mew from her perch.

_What…?_

My mind started to race as I stared at her.

'It was within her from the start; that was what you told me. What did you mean '_from the start_'?'

The tiny Legendary lowered her gaze to the rocks underfoot. _I…can't give you the details..._

I snarled. 'Don't give me excuses, Mew. What did you mean?'

_What she's suffering from…it was created with her, within her body._

I frowned. 'She was _created_ with a disease?'

_Not a disease. A condition. One that intentionally defies nature._

'_Defies_ nature?'

She looked distressed. _I can't say more than that. But…look to her birthplace for the answers you seek._

'This is one of the times when I _don't_ need you to be deliberately enigmatic.'

Now she glared at me.

_It's not my choice, believe me._

A swirl of pink and blue, and she disappeared, leaving me with a head full of unanswered questions and a heavy weight in my stomach from consternation.

* * *

Look to her birthplace…

The sun shone like a beacon overhead. Mid-day at the earliest. Not my best time of day.

When was there ever a good time of day for me?

I sighed and raised a paw.

A heavy, rough-hewn cloak appeared out of the ether, the material falling about my shoulders and back. I tugged to hood over my head; hiding my face from view should anyone catch a glimpse of me.

Time to go hunting.

* * *

The sight of New Bark Town shimmering in the sunlight below me was something of a relief. My ability to Teleport was limited by both the distance and the official boundaries of the Kanto and Johto regions.

Tugging my cloak tighter around my body, I turned and flew towards the mountains which marked the boundaries of the regions and housed the Indigo Plateau, home of the Kanto League.

Where Giovanni still held power.

I grimaced as the wind tugged at my cloak.

Surely she was not as senseless as to attempt to enter Kanto while her father still held dominion over the League. Team Rocket, while a criminal organisation, was still considered to be a major power within the region, enough to keep Giovanni safely ensconced at the Viridian City Gym.

But with the…condition ravaging her young body, perhaps it was now only a matter of time before her mind was affected.

If it came to that, I was still unsure if I would have the willpower to end her life, should a cure not be readily available.

But there would be no cure at all unless I risked everything by going back to the Cerulean Caves.

The mountains below me started to decrease in height. My musings had taken me safely across the border into Kanto.

Now…

I concentrated on my destination.

A painful burst of light, and I felt the pull of the vortex as all of the molecules in my body were transformed into pure Psychic energy and projected through the four dimensions until I hovered high above the bramble-covered entrance to the Cerulean Caves.

I allowed myself a small sigh of relief as I noted the density of the vegetation. No-one had attempted to come here since my first exploration so many months ago.

A low-level Psychic blast cleared the majority of the undergrowth, my Fire Punch doing the rest. I pulled my cloak away from my shoulders and flicked it into the ether with a gesture before returning my gaze to the cave-mouth before me.

* * *

There it was. The artificial fault line which delineated the laboratory's camouflage.

I charged at the half-open hatchway and slammed my shoulder into the metal. Painful, but necessary.

I wrinkled my nose at the stench of cryogenic fluid and lingering antiseptic as I entered the lab. Frankly, I had hoped never to return here, but if Mew was determined to be cryptic rather than constructive…

Thankfully the computer still worked, albeit with some rerouted power-lines and a good deal of hope.

Within her…

_Within_ her…

I frowned as I studied endless reams of text relating to Sashara's creation and birth. Genetic profiles of Giovanni and the Mew donor, blood types, programmed Abilities, her stats – all present, and all infuriatingly unhelpful.

Ugh.

I rubbed my temples with my paws as I leaned against the computer.

What did Mew mean? There was nothing in the database about any kind of disease or virus or fungi or infection of any kind that had been created with Sashara. Surely the scientists would have been aware if there had been some form of contamination or deficiency and removed it from her genetic pattern…

I pulled up the final report of Professor Zavros and scanned it briefly, hoping that some clue, some word would give me the hint I needed.

_…The problem of control lies herein. The subject has repeatedly demonstrated extreme psychotic reactions…believed to be the result of failed genetic manipulation caused by the merging of human and Pokemon genetic materials…_

The weight in my stomach began to grow heavier with each word, but there was no discernable reason for--

_Failed genetic manipulation_.

The temperature of the laboratory seemed to drop to absolute zero as I became aware of my thoughts.

Her genetic pattern.

The gene splicing performed in order to create a hybridized body.

And then the one thought I had only barely acknowledged even in my subconscious pushed itself to the forefront of my mind.

Why had she not been born as a full-grown adult as I was, as the other clones were?

With the nausea making my head spin and my stomach churn, I dug frantically into the depths of the mainframe, pulling up charts and diagrams filled with terminology I could barely comprehend, until one chart made me pause for a second, then stop.

Sashara's genetic profile, the double helix pattern of her DNA swirling across the screen.

As it was _originally_ meant to have been designed.

I studied the pattern. No discernable flaws – a perfect splicing of Human and Pokemon DNA to my eyes. So what was this 'failed genetic manipulation' to which Zavros had referred?

My paws felt strangely heavy as I brought up the files with Sashara's _final_ genetic profile stored within.

Her DNA should have stayed unaltered according to the original profile.

What had necessitated the change?

The screen flickered--

* * *

Oh gods, _no_.

My legs gave way beneath me as the structure of Sashara's final DNA pattern slowly revolved on the screen before me.

* * *

The once smooth double helix structure was now deliberately flawed, with sets of key chromosomes removed from the spiral.

Aging and growth genes.

The strands the patterns were based on were not those of genetically manipulated DNA, but RNA. Single helix structures from which DNA could be fused, but this…

This was temporal RNA sequencing. (1)

DNA is designed to replicate within the body, providing unique genetic encoding and instructions necessary for building and maintaining life. RNA however, is based on the chromosomal single helix pattern of viruses, which are short-living by design due to their chemical base of uracil.

From what I understood, the temporal RNA had replicated as normal DNA would have done, and when the uracil base eventually broke down, it created a build-up of the highly unstable chemical known as cytosine in her body, which in turn disintegrated even further into ammonia.

The chemical which was slowly destroying her from the inside out.

Her immune system was not recognising the by-products of the chemical disintegration as being erroneous, and therefore was not repairing the damage.

I rested my head against the cold metal of the computer and tried to breathe.

Her DNA, and therefore her body, was designed to destroy itself if she reached a specific point in her 'aging' process. If she wanted to age, and thus continue living, only Giovanni and the scientists had access to the remaining chromosomes she would need in order to survive. Thus she would have had to stay in the laboratories, or stay close to her father and in his favour.

All designed to ensure she would remain his slave.

If not, she would consign herself to genetic disintegration, organ and tissue failure, and finally death.

Giovanni, you stupid selfish bastard of a human.

But that was not what caused the bile within my belly to churn with increasing distress.

…_For security reasons, all original and reproduction genetic solutions, gene samples, and chromosomal treatments associated with this experiment will be stored at the Viridian Gym_…

The Viridian Gym.

Sashara…

I knew in that moment what she intended to do, even as I snarled and Teleported out of the lab in a whirl of purple and white.

She believed that there was no cure for her inexplicable condition, and so she was setting out on her last journey.

She had fulfilled her obligations as a Trainer.

But her obligations as the daughter of Giovanni, after all that he and Team Rocket had done to her…

Chop off the snake's head and its body dies.

Along with any hope of curing her.

The race to reach Giovanni before she did was on.

* * *

TBC

(1) OK, I borrowed the name from Star Trek: Nemesis, but everything else I tried to research as much as I could, then gave up and stuck with getting everything to make as much sense as I could. Sort of.


End file.
